Claude Richmond

Background Born in Blue River, British Columbia, Richmond grew up in the Kamloops area and attended Kamloops Senior Secondary School. After serving with the Royal Canadian Air Force and working in small business, he served on the Kamloops City Council for two terms in the 1970s, then worked as manager of CHNL AM610 from 1978 to 1982. and was named to the cabinet as Minister of Tourism by Premier Bill Bennett in August 1982. He kept the portfolio after winning re-election in 1983. He was re-elected in that October's provincial election; and subsequently stayed on as Minister of Forests under new premier Rita Johnston. He declined to run in that year's provincial election, which saw the Socreds reduced to only seven seats in the legislature. Following Johnston's resignation in January 1992, Richmond ran again for party leader. In the November 1993 leadership election, he came in third place behind Graham Bruce and eventual winner Grace McCarthy on the second ballot, and was eliminated.

While away from politics, Richmond conducted consultancy work in the resource sector, and served as managing director of Kamloops Airport Limited from 1997 to 2001. he was named to Premier Gordon Campbell's cabinet that June as Minister of Employment and Income Assistance.

On May 9, 2008, he announced that he would not stand for re-election in the 2009 provincial election; he was dropped from the cabinet that June.