Richard Hatfield

Richard Bennett Hatfield was an eccentric, charismatic political master from Hartland, New Brunswick. Elected premier in 1970, Hatfield governed for seventeen years across four consecutive majority terms, defying conventional political norms with his cosmopolitan lifestyle, patronage of contemporary arts, and deep personal affinity for the Acadian community.

Hatfield's most historic achievement was entrenching equality between English and French in New Brunswick. Working closely with Pierre Trudeau, Hatfield ensured that Section 16(2) of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms explicitly recognized New Brunswick as Canada's only constitutionally bilingual province. He was appointed to the Senate of Canada in 1990.