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William Richards Bennett, PC , (born August 18 , 1932 ) was Premier of the Canadian province of British Columbia 1975 – 1986 . Born in Kelowna, British Columbia , he was the son of the former Premier, W.A.C. Bennett and following his father's resignation, Bill Bennett was elected on September 7 , 1973 as the British Columbia Social Credit Party Member of the British Columbia Legislative Assembly for South Okanagan . To distinguish him from his famous father, he was often called simply Bill Bennett. One media term coined to desribe the younger Bennett was "Mini-Wac." He was elected the leader of the Party in 1973 , at a convention in Whistler, British Columbia . He became premier of the province in the 1975 Election when his party defeated the New Democratic Party . In the Election Of December 11, 1979 , the Social Credit Party was re-elected with a majority. He served until August 6 , 1986 . His Cabinet included a vast array of new politicians who would soon become some of BC's most prominent political players. These included Grace McCarthy , Bill Vander Zalm , Garde Gardom , and Rafe Mair . He is currently retired and dividing his time between his hometown of Kelowna and Palm Springs . Though still reviled by the left, Bennett remains generally highly respected among Conservative s in BC, who view his rule as a "golden era" before the corruption of the Vander Zalm government and the NDP that succeeded him. In recent years Bennett has advised current BC Premier Gordon Campbell , who has openly stated his desires to emulate the policies associated with Bennett's government.
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