Cecil Phillip Clarke (born April 12, 1968) is a politician in Nova Scotia

Nova Scotia

Nova Scotia is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the most populous province in Atlantic Canada. The name of the province is Latin for "New Scotland," but "Nova Scotia" is the recognized, English-language name of the province. The provincial capital is Halifax. Nova Scotia is the...

, Canada

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

. He represented the riding of Cape Breton North

Cape Breton North

Cape Breton North is a provincial electoral district in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, Canada, that elects one member of the Nova Scotia House of Assembly....

 in the Nova Scotia House of Assembly

Nova Scotia House of Assembly

The Nova Scotia Legislature, consisting of Her Majesty The Queen represented by the Lieutenant Governor and the House of Assembly, is the legislative branch of the provincial government of Nova Scotia, Canada...

, from 2001 to 2011. He served as a Progressive Conservative

Progressive Conservative Association of Nova Scotia

The Progressive Conservative Association of Nova Scotia, registered under the Nova Scotia Elections Act as the "Progressive Conservative Party of Nova Scotia", is a moderate right-of-centre political party in Nova Scotia, Canada....

.

Before politics

Born in North Sydney, Nova Scotia

North Sydney, Nova Scotia

North Sydney is a community in Nova Scotia's Cape Breton Regional Municipality.Located on the north side of Sydney Harbour, along the eastern coast of Cape Breton Island, North Sydney is an important port in Atlantic Canada as it is the western terminus of the Marine Atlantic ferry service...

, Clarke graduated with a Bachelors Degree from Mount Allison University

Mount Allison University

Mount Allison University is a primarily undergraduate Canadian liberal arts and science university situated in Sackville, New Brunswick. It is located about a half hour from the regional city of Moncton and 20 minutes from the Greater Moncton International Airport...

 in 1990.

Entrance to politics

Clarke was first elected in a March 2001 byelection and was re-elected in the 2003

Nova Scotia general election, 2003

The 36th Nova Scotia general election was held on August 5, 2003 to elect members of the 59th House of Assembly of the Province of Nova Scotia, Canada...

, 2006

Nova Scotia general election, 2006

The 37th Nova Scotia general election was held on June 13, 2006 to elect members of the 60th House of Assembly of the Province of Nova Scotia, Canada....

 and 2009 general elections. He served in the Executive Council of Nova Scotia

Executive Council of Nova Scotia

The Executive Council of Nova Scotia is the cabinet of that Canadian province....

 as Minister of Economic Development, Minister of Energy, Attorney General and Minister of Justice. Clarke was Speaker of the House of Assembly of Nova Scotia

Speaker of the House of Assembly of Nova Scotia

The Speaker for the House of Assembly of Nova Scotia is the presiding Officer of the House of Assembly. Gordie Gosse is the current Speaker of the 61st General Assembly of Nova Scotia....

 from June 2006 to October 2007. Along with his various cabinet duties, Clarke was also the minister responsible for the Human Rights Act, the Regulations Act, and Part II of the Workers' Compensation Act.

In July 2010, Clarke announced that he was seeking the federal Conservative

Conservative Party of Canada

The Conservative Party of Canada , is a political party in Canada which was formed by the merger of the Canadian Alliance and the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada in 2003. It is positioned on the right of the Canadian political spectrum...

 nomination for the riding of Sydney-Victoria, where he would face Liberal incumbent Mark Eyking

Mark Eyking

Mark Eyking, PC, MP is a Canadian politician.Eyking was born in Sydney, Nova Scotia. A resident of Millville, Nova Scotia, Eyking is a current member of the Liberal Party of Canada in the Canadian House of Commons, representing the riding of Sydney—Victoria since 2000. Eyking is a former farmer...

. On March 25, 2011, Clarke resigned his seat in the Nova Scotia legislature so he can run for the Conservatives in the 2011 federal election.