Patrick_Howell

Patrick Howell

Patrick Howell

French Polynesian politician

Patrick Howell is a French Polynesian civil servant, politician, and former Cabinet Minister. He is a member of Tapura Huiraatira.

Quick Facts Minister of Solidarity, President ...

Howell trained as a dental surgeon and worked at the Teva I Uta medical center in the early 1980s before becoming head of dental hygiene services in French Polynesia.[1] In 1993 he became director of public health.[1] In the 1980s he campaigned against French nuclear testing and for the creation of a health register for test workers as part of the Tomite No Te Rai Hau ("Blue Skies Committee").[2]

In May 1994 he was appointed Minister for the Environment and Scientific Research in the government of Gaston Flosse.[1][3] In a cabinet reshuffle in June 1995 he became Minister of Employment, while retaining his Environment portfolio.[3] In May 1996 he was appointed Minister of Health and Scientific Research, positions he held until September 2001.[3]

In 2008 he was elected a municipal councillor in Punaauia.[1]

In September 2014 he was appointed as Minister of Health and Solidarity in the government of Édouard Fritch.[4] As he was a senior civil servant at the time, he had to wait at least six months before taking up his ministerial duties.[5] In the intervening period his portfolios were managed by Vice-president Nuihau Laurey, and he was employed as a technical advisor in his office.[6] He formally took office on 25 March 2015.[7] In May 2015 he and five other Ministers were deemed to have resigned from the Tahoera'a after ceasing to attend their political council.[8] In May 2015 he was appointed as one of the French Polynesian government's delegates to the newly-formed Nuclear Tests Information Commission, tasked with investigating the health and environmental impact of French nuclear testing.[9] In October 2015 he established a health study of the inhabitants of Hao and Makemo, which were used as support bases for the tests.[10]

In October 2016 he was selected as Tapura's candidate for French Polynesia's 3rd constituency in the 2017 French legislative election.[11] He surrendered his ministerial portfolios in January 2017 so he could focus on the campaign.[12][13] He led in the first round,[14] but lost to Moetai Brotherson in the second.[15]

References

  1. [1]
    "Patrick Howell, un médecin au Palais Bourbon" (in French). TNTV. 16 June 2017. Retrieved 7 January 2023.
  2. [2]
    "RENCH POLYNESIA Mururoa Moves Shock Paris". Pacific Islands Monthly. Vol. 59, no. 9. 1 September 1988. p. 33. Retrieved 7 January 2023 – via National Library of Australia.
  3. [3]
    "Histoire" (in French). Assemblée de la Polynésie française. Retrieved 7 January 2023.
  4. [4]
    "Le gouvernement d'Edouard Fritch dévoilé" (in French). Tahiti Infos. 16 September 2014. Retrieved 7 January 2023.
  5. [5]
    "Deux ministres du gouvernement Fritch frappés "d'incompatibilité"" (in French). Tahiti Infos. 17 September 2014. Retrieved 7 January 2023.
  6. [6]
    "Fritch présente dix ministres dont deux "à devenir"" (in French). Tahiti Infos. 17 September 2014. Retrieved 7 January 2023.
  7. [7]
    "Le gouvernement d'Edouard Fritch enfin au complet" (in French). Tahiti Infos. 25 March 2015. Retrieved 7 January 2023.
  8. [8]
    "Au Tahoera'a démission d'office du député J-P Tuaiva et de six ministres en exercice" (in French). Tahiti Infos. 26 May 2015. Retrieved 7 January 2023.
  9. [9]
    "La commission d'information sur les essais nucléaires se réunira mardi prochain" (in French). Tahiti Infos. 20 May 2015. Retrieved 7 January 2023.
  10. [10]
    "Patrick Howell détaille l'étude sanitaire qui sera menée à Hao et Makemo" (in French). Tahiti Infos. 15 October 2015. Retrieved 7 January 2023.
  11. [11]
    "Législatives : le Tapura donne investiture au trio Sage-Sanquer-Howell" (in French). Tahiti Infos. 14 October 2016. Retrieved 7 January 2023.
  12. [12]
    "Remaniement ministériel : Bouteau, Faatau et Raynal entrent au gouvernement (màj)" (in French). Tahiti Infos. 13 January 2017. Retrieved 11 October 2022.
  13. [13]
    "Fritch reshuffles French Polynesia government". RNZ. 16 January 2017. Retrieved 11 October 2022.
  14. [14]
    "Tapura candidates lead in Tahiti's French election". RNZ. 5 June 2017. Retrieved 7 January 2023.
  15. [15]
    "Anti-independence camp wins big in French Pacific". RNZ. 19 June 2017. Retrieved 7 January 2023.
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