Chuck MacNeil

{{Short description|Canadian politician (1944–2022)}}

{{Use Canadian English|date=January 2023}}

{{Infobox officeholder

| image =

|honorific-prefix=The Honourable

|honorific-suffix= ECNS

| name = Chuck MacNeil

| birth_date = {{birth date|1944|12|02}}

| birth_place = New Glasgow, Nova Scotia, Canada

| death_date = {{death date and age|2022|06|18|1944|12|02}}

| death_place = New Glasgow, Nova Scotia, Canada

| residence = Sherbrooke, Nova Scotia

| office = MLA for Guysborough

| term_start = 1984

| term_end = 1993

| predecessor = Sandy Cameron

| successor = riding dissolved

| party = Progressive Conservative

| religion =

| occupation = Doctor

}}

Charles Wyndham MacNeil (December 2, 1944 – June 18, 2022) was a Canadian politician. He represented the electoral district of Guysborough in the Nova Scotia House of Assembly from 1984 to 1993. He was a member of the Progressive Conservative Party of Nova Scotia.{{cite web|url=https://nslegislature.ca/sites/default/files/constituencies/pdfs/guysborough-eastern%20shore-tracadie.pdf|title=Electoral History for Guysborough–Eastern Shore–Tracadie|publisher=Nova Scotia Legislative Library|accessdate=2018-04-02|archive-date=2019-12-08|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191208133712/https://nslegislature.ca/sites/default/files/constituencies/pdfs/guysborough-eastern|url-status=dead}}

Born in 1944 at New Glasgow, Nova Scotia, he was the son of Edgar William MacNeil and Elizabeth Adelaide (Weir). A graduate of Mount Allison University and Dalhousie University, MacNeil married Elizabeth Alison Fleming in 1966. He practiced as a family physician in Yarmouth and Sherbrooke, Nova Scotia since 1969.{{cite web|url=https://archivescanada.accesstomemory.ca/chuck-macneil-fonds|title=Chuck MacNeil fonds|publisher=Archives Canada|accessdate=2016-12-26}}

From 1982 to 1984, MacNeil served as a municipal councillor for the Municipality of the District of St. Mary's. He entered provincial politics in the 1984 election, defeating Liberal leader Sandy Cameron by 390 votes in the Guysborough riding.{{cite web|url=http://electionsnovascotia.ca/sites/default/files/General%20Election%201984.pdf |title=Returns of General Election for the House of Assembly 1984 |publisher=Elections Nova Scotia |year=1984 |page=69 |accessdate=2015-03-26 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20131005021932/http://electionsnovascotia.ca/sites/default/files/General%20Election%201984.pdf |archivedate=2013-10-05 }}{{cite news|title=Buchanan Tories crush opponents in N.S. election|work=The Globe and Mail|date=November 7, 1984}} MacNeil was re-elected in the 1988 election.{{cite web|url=http://electionsnovascotia.ca/sites/default/files/General%20Election%201988.pdf |title=Returns of General Election for the House of Assembly 1988 |publisher=Elections Nova Scotia |year=1988 |page=72 |accessdate=2015-03-26 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20140512225642/http://electionsnovascotia.ca/sites/default/files/General%20Election%201988.pdf |archivedate=2014-05-12 }}

On December 23, 1988, MacNeil was appointed to the Executive Council of Nova Scotia as Minister of Lands and Forests.{{cite news|title=Controversial minister returns as Buchanan shuffles cabinet|work=The Globe and Mail|date=December 24, 1988}} When Donald Cameron took over as premier in February 1991, he named MacNeil Minister of Mines and Energy.{{Cite news|title=Cameron streamlines cabinet: several departments to amalgamate|work=The Chronicle Herlad|date=February 27, 1991}}

In February 1992, MacNeil was shuffled to Minister of Finance.{{cite news|title=Thornhill back in cabinet after year of political exhile|work=The Globe and Mail|date=February 18, 1992}} In the 1993 election, MacNeil was defeated by Liberal Ray White in the new Guysborough-Port Hawkesbury riding.{{cite web|url=http://electionsnovascotia.ca/sites/default/files/General%20Election%201993.pdf |title=Returns of General Election for the House of Assembly 1993 |publisher=Elections Nova Scotia |year=1993 |page=89 |accessdate=2015-03-26 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20141006070337/http://electionsnovascotia.ca/sites/default/files/General%20Election%201993.pdf |archivedate=2014-10-06 }}{{cite web|url=http://www.herald.ns.ca/cgi-bin/home/displaypackstory?1993/05/26+107.raw+PE93Elect|title=Liberal sweep claims cabinet ministers|work=The Chronicle Herald|date=May 26, 1993|accessdate=2015-03-26|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20000830230443/http://www.herald.ns.ca/cgi-bin/home/displaypackstory?1993%2F05%2F26+107.raw+PE93Elect|archivedate=August 30, 2000|url-status=dead}}

MacNeil died in New Glasgow, Nova Scotia on June 18, 2022, aged 77.{{cite web |author1=Drake Lowthers |title=Former local physician, municipal councillor, MLA, and cabinet minister passes away |url=https://porthawkesburyreporter.com/former-local-physician-municipal-councillor-mla-and-cabinet-minister-passes-away/ |website=Port Hawkesbury Reporter |access-date=26 November 2022 |date=July 5, 2022}}