Profession Anthropologist Party Liberal Party of Canada Children 5 | Spouse(s) Catherine Cantin Role Politician Unit HMCS Chippawa Political party Liberal Name Robert-Falcon Ouellette Residence Winnipeg, Canada | |
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Introducing Robert Falcon Ouellette
#PolitixBS Speed Round with Robert Falcon Ouellette
Robert-Falcon Ouellette MP is a Canadian politician, who was elected to represent the riding of Winnipeg Centre in the House of Commons of Canada in the Canadian federal election, 2015. He was previously a candidate for Mayor of Winnipeg in the 2014 municipal election, finishing third.
Contents
- Introducing Robert Falcon Ouellette
- PolitixBS Speed Round with Robert Falcon Ouellette
- Early life and career
- Municipal politics
- Federal politics
- Personal life
- References
Of mixed English and Cree descent, Ouellette was a veteran of nearly twenty years in the Canadian Forces and a university professor before his entry into politics.
Early life and career
Ouellette was born and raised in Calgary. His namesake was his mother's younger brother Robert-Falcon Green who died in 1961 at age 9. His mother was born in Tottenham, North London and moved from England to Canada in 1974 and his father was mix of Cree and Métis and from the Red Pheasant First Nation, located south of North Battleford, Saskatchewan. Ouellette was raised primarily by his mother, a poorly educated woman with a history of depression. Ouellette's father was a student in the Canadian Indian residential school system and an alcoholic who was sometimes absent.
Ouellette grew up in poor conditions, often going hungry, and he once spent a summer homeless in Winnipeg. Determined to change her son's future, Ouellette's mother insisted that he take the admissions test for the Strathcona-Tweedsmuir School, an elite private school. After Ouellette was admitted, his mother paid for his tuition by taking out a loan she could not afford to pay back.
Ouellette earned a bachelor of arts in music from the University of Calgary, a master's in music and a master's in education from Laval University, and a PhD in anthropology, also from Laval.
He retired from the Royal Canadian Navy after nearly two decades of service with the rank of Petty Officer 2nd class and remains as part of the Naval Reserve. He moved to Winnipeg in 2011 from Quebec City after he was appointed as director of Aboriginal Focus Programs at the University of Manitoba.
Municipal politics
In 2005, Ouelette ran for a council seat for Quebec City Council, but lost by 170 votes.
Ouellette finished third in the 2014 Winnipeg municipal election. He had run on a platform of dedicated infrastructure funding and campaign finance reform. Shortly after his defeat, he declared that he was developing a business plan to open a Winnipeg university catering to indigenous post-secondary students.
Federal politics
In the 2015 election, Ouellette took over 50% of the vote and defeated longtime NDP MP Pat Martin in Winnipeg Centre. Ouellette resigned his position with the University of Manitoba in July 2015 to focus on his campaign. After his election, Ouellette was considered a leading candidate for the position of Minister of Aboriginal Affairs.
Ouellette withdrew from the race to be Speaker of the House of Commons after making comments at a Winnipeg town hall meeting stating the position comes with "great influence" over the Prime Minister to the extent of calling the Prime Minister to the Speaker's Chair to address constituent's concerns.
Personal life
Ouellette is married to Catherine Cantin, whom he met while they were both military cadets, and has five children. Like himself, his household is fluently bilingual. He lives in the southern suburban region of St. Vital, Winnipeg.