Bill Bennett was appointed Minister of State for Mining on June 16, 2005.

Mr. Bennett was first elected to represent the riding of East Kootenay in 2001 and was re-elected in 2005.

He has previously served as deputy chair of the Legislative Select Standing Committee on Public Accounts, a member of the Premier's Olympic Live Sites Committee, the Caucus Committee on Treaties, the Waste Management Review Committee and as a legislative member of the committee for the Pacific Northwest Economic Region. Mr. Bennett also served on both the Land Use and Mining Task Forces. He has also served as deputy chair of the Legislative Select Standing Committee on Crown Corporations and as a member of the Parliamentary Reform, Ethical Conduct Committee, and the Standing Orders and Private Bills Committee.

Prior to his first elected position, Mr. Bennett served as partner in a Cranbrook law firm. In 1976, he completed an honours degree in English from the University of Guelph and in 1992 earned a law degree from Queen's University.

Mr. Bennett also owned and operated successful fly-in wilderness lodges in the Northwest Territories and Manitoba from 1977 to 1992. In 1988, he worked as a tourism consultant with the Department of Indian and Northern Affairs and to the Manitoba Keewatin Tribal Council.

Mr. Bennett is a Cranbrook Rotary Club member who has also served as B.C. Chamber of Commerce first vice-chair, Cranbrook and District Chamber of Commerce president, Kootenay Ice WHL franchise committee member, and Kootenay Bar Association president. In 1997 and 1998 he was elected Cranbrook Business Person of the Year.

Mr. Bennett and his wife Beth married in 1974 and have two children, Dylan and Daniel. They have lived in the constituency since 1994. Bill is a passionate snowboarder who also hunts, fishes and hikes.