James J. Hewitt was a Canadian

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...

 politician, who represented the riding of Boundary-Similkameen

Boundary-Similkameen

Boundary-Similkameen is a new riding which was formed in 2008 assembled together with populations of Penticton-Okanagan Valley, West Kootenay-Boundary and Yale-Lillooet...

 in the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia

Legislative Assembly of British Columbia

The Legislative Assembly of British Columbia is one of two components of the Parliament of British Columbia, the provincial parliament ....

 from 1975 to 1988 as a member of the Social Credit Party

British Columbia Social Credit Party

The British Columbia Social Credit Party, whose members are known as Socreds, was the governing political party of British Columbia, Canada, for more than 30 years between the 1952 provincial election and the 1991 election...

. He held several roles in the Executive Council of British Columbia

Executive Council of British Columbia

The Executive Council of British Columbia is the cabinet of that Canadian province....

 during his term as an MLA, including Minister of Agriculture, Minister of Energy and Minister of Consumer and Corporate Affairs.

Although retired from elected politics, Hewitt actively campaigned against the province's 2009 electoral reform referendum

British Columbia electoral reform referendum, 2009

A second referendum on electoral reform was held in conjunction with the provincial election on May 12, 2009. The BC-single transferrable vote electoral system was again voted on by the BC electorate. It would have required 60 per cent overall approval and 50 per cent approval in at least 60 per...

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