Claude Williams
Minister of Education

Claude Williams was born on November 25, 1955, in Saint-Antoine, Kent County, New Brunswick. He is the son of Rita and Irené Williams.

On February 14, 2006, he was sworn in as Minister of Education.

In his first venture into provincial politics, Claude Williams won the April 23, 2001, by-election in the constituency of Kent South. A member of the Progressive Conservative Party, he joined the 46-Member Caucus of Premier Bernard Lord. He was a Member of the 54th Legislature's Standing Committee on Private Bills. He Chaired the Select Committee on Local Governance and Regional Collaboration.

He was re-elected as a member of the Fifty-Fifth Legislature in the provincial general election held June 9, 2003. He was a member of the following standing committees: Privileges, Public Accounts, Private Bills, Legislative Administration and Ombudsman. He chaired the Select Committee on Health Care, and was a member of the Select Committee on Wood Supply, and the Select Committee on Public Automobile Insurance.

Mr. Williams is chargé de mission of the Assemblée parlementaire de la Francophonie, section Amérique. He is the president of the New Brunswick section.

Mr. Williams completed his elementary school studies locally and graduated from high school in Bouctouche. He holds a bachelor of business administration from the Université de Moncton. He was executive assistant to Hon. Omer Léger, MLA for Kent South (1977-1978, 1982-1984), a minister in former Premier Richard Hatfield's Cabinet, before becoming regional manager for the New Brunswick Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture.

He is well-known in his community where he was chairman and a member of District 12 school board from 1981 to 1989 and chairman of the Kent South chapter of the Canadian disabled association. He was a member of the board of directors of the Caisse populaire de Saint-Antoine and vice-president of the Grand Saint-Antoine local service district. He has also been a member of parents' committees at Camille-Vautour School in Saint-Antoine and Clément-Cormier High School in Bouctouche. He was elected as a municipal councillor in Saint-Antoine in the 1980s.

Mr. Williams and his wife, Bernice LeBlanc, have two daughters, Vicky and Monica.