FREDERICTON -- Veteran New Brunswick and federal politician Keith Ashfield has died at the age of 66.
The president of the Progressive Conservative Party of New Brunswick announced his death in a tweet on Sunday.
In the short message, Rick Lafrance expressed the party's sympathy to Ashfield's wife, family and "to everyone who loved our friend and colleague."
Ashfield served as the member of parliament for the riding of Fredericton from 2008 to 2015 and filled a variety of positions throughout then-prime minister Stephen Harper's cabinet.
From 2011 to 2013, Ashfield was the federal fisheries minister, but was defeated in the 2015 federal election.
Ashfield was diagnosed with cancer in 2013, but had reportedly beaten the disease by the fall of 2014 and announced last month that he would seek a nomination to run as a provincial Tory in the fall election.
