Chris Collins

Chris Collins is the former Speaker of the New Brunswick Legislative Assembly and former Minister of Local Government. As a three term Member of the Legislature for Moncton,Collins has served in various roles from Government Whip to Chair of the Provincial Wellness Strategy to Cabinet Minister. During his term in Opposition he held several critic portfolios including Education, Justice and Office of the Attorney General, Energy and Mines and Post Secondary Education. He also holds the distinction of guiding several Private Members Bills into law and having two Private Members motions pass in the House while sitting on the Opposition side.

Before entering politics at the provincial level,Collins served as a Moncton City Councillor and was responsible for changing the way we look at cosmetic pesticides. Later, while serving in the Legislature he brought in the toughest pesticide regulations in Canada.

Collins is well known in the parliamentary system across Canada as former Speaker of the Legislature in New Brunswick where he also acted as President of the Canadian Parliamentary Association and later the first President of the Speakers of Canada Association. As Speaker,Collins became quickly known for requiring the return to civil debate in the Legislature while eliminating heckling in the floor of the Legislature.

Before entering politics Collins held various sales roles in the packaged goods industry for companies like Clairol, L’Oreal, Alberto-Culver and General Mills Canada over a 24-year period.

Collins, in honour of his late son Sean, is a warrior against children’s cancer. He was recently elected the National Chair of Ac2orn (Advocacy for Canadian Children’s Oncology Research Network) and has been a national rider in the Sears National Kids Cancer ride in 2013 (Vancouver to Halifax) and Winnipeg to Halifax in 2016.

In his free time, Mr. Collins enjoys skiing, sailing, curling, and golf. He and his wife, Lisette Richard, live in Moncton.