B.C. Mines Minister quits over profanity-filled e-mail

Vancouver British Columbia’s junior minister of mines has resigned after firing off a profanity-filled e-mail to a constituent.

In a statement obtained by the Northern Miner, Bill Bennett apologized for his actions, saying the e-mail was written hastily and sent in a fit of frustration following a day of long, hard work.

“I know what I did was stupid and wrong and this is why I resigned,” Bennett told reporters after tendering his resignation on Febuary 6.

A spokesman for B.C.’s Ministry of Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources said it is still too early to predict who will step into the vacant position.

Bennett said he sent a harshly worded e-mail last week to the president of the Fernie Rod and Gun Club.

Bennett said he was upset when he received an e-mail from the Fernie veterinarian suggesting he wasn’t doing enough to help local hunters when he had just spent much of the weekend lobbying on their behalf.

“My e-mail to him was very harsh,” said Bennett, who said it contained profanities and references to the Fernie man’s original home in the United States.

Bennett said he spoke with Premier Gordon Campbell about the letter and told him he would quit his cabinet post over the issue.

“It’s a very embarrassing thing for me and the government,” said Bennett.

“I blew my cool. What I did wasn’t professional and not businesslike. I have to pay the price.”

Bennett said he will write the Fernie man a personal letter of apology.

For the time being, Bennett said he will continue as the legislative assembly member for B.C.’s East Kootenay region.

The resignation comes amid soaring exploration spending in the province. Last week, Bennett told the Roundup07 exploration conference in Vancouver that exploration spending in the province had reached a record $265 million in 2006