Rod Bruinooge
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Rod E. Bruinooge (born 1973) is a Canadian politician, businessman and filmmaker. He was elected as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Winnipeg South in the 2006 federal election. He is currently the parliamentary secretary to the Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development and the Federal Interlocutor for Métis and Non-Status Indians. Bruinooge is a member of the Conservative Party of Canada, and is an Aboriginal Canadian.
Early life and career
Bruinooge was born in Thompson, Manitoba, and holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from the University of Manitoba.↑ [Canada Votes 2004, Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, Winnipeg South riding profile] He attended the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada's 1993 leadership convention as a youth delegate, supporting Kim Campbell.John Douglas, "Campbell slips in Manitoba", Winnipeg Free Press, 13 June 1993, Canadian Wire Stories. His name is erroneously listed as "Ron Bruinooge". He became chief executive and president of Abject Modernity Internet Creations Ltd. in the late 1990s, and worked as a consultant.Simon Avery, "Canada's video gamers take 'mature' tack", National Post, 13 May 1999, C01/front.
Bruinooge has served as a director of the River View Health Centre and the Manitoba Children's Museum, has done organizational work for the Winnipeg Aboriginal Film and Video Festival and the North American Indigenous Games. He started the Winnipeg International Film Festival in 2005, and is now its executive director. [Winnipeg International Film Festival website, 2005 listing.]
The Stone
Bruinooge developed an internet game/mystery entitled The Stone in 1995, and launched it as a consumer product in 1997. The game was strongly influenced by the Publius Enigma, a conceptual mystery involving hidden messages in the cover art of Pink Floyd's The Division Bell (1994). The Stone was profiled by Forbes Magazine in 1999, and has been featured in other international journals.
In September 2004, Bruinooge and co-director Scott Jaworski released a film entitled Stoners,[IMDB Entry: Stoners] covering the activities of an internet gaming community that emerged around The Stone."The Stone", website [link] The film features several tracks from The Division Bell in its soundtrack, used with Pink Floyd's permission."Creator of online game", Winnipeg Free Press, 21 September 2004, D4.
Politician
Bruinooge was a frequent candidate for public office before 2006. He first sought the provincial Progressive Conservative nomination for Riel in 2002, but withdrew when it became clear that the nomination date would be in flux for some time.Mia Rabson, "Tories look for answers in membership dispute", Winnipeg Free Press, 2 November 2002, A6.
He later campaigned as the Conservative candidate for Winnipeg South in the 2004 federal election. One of his more creative campaign advertisements was a self-directed, fifteen-second promotional film entitled "Big Tobacco", which compared Paul Martin's efforts at government renewal to misleading tobacco advertising. The spot ran as a preview for Shrek 2 in some Winnipeg theatres.Frank Landry, "Campaign trailers", Winnipeg Sun, 26 May 2004.
Bruinooge was one of only three aboriginal candidates to run for the Conservative Party in the 2004 election. The Conservative Party has sometimes been depicted as hostile to aboriginal interests, and at one point in the campaign Bruinooge and party leader Stephen Harper were the targets of a protest by aboriginal activists, including David Chartrand of the Manitoba Métis Federation.Len Kruzenga, "Listen to natives, not just their leaders", National Post, 15 July 2004, A18. Bruinooge finished second in the election against Liberal incumbent Reg Alcock.
Bruinooge again sought the Conservative nomination for Winnipeg South in the spring of 2005, but lost to rival candidate Hugh McFadyen by twelve votes.Bill Redekop, "Tory stronghold claimed by mayor's former aide", Winnipeg Free Press, 19 October 2005, B3. A few months later, he lost to McFadyen a second time in a contest for the provincial Progressive Conservative nomination in Fort Whyte.["McFadyen to represent Tories in Fort Whyte", CBC Manitoba, 19 October 2005, 07:55 report.] It has been reported that McFadyen's margin of victory on the latter occasion was only six votes.
McFadyen resigned his federal nomination when he chose to run provincially, and Bruinooge was chosen as the Conservative candidate in his place. His candidacy was endorsed on January 18, 2006 by Vote Marriage Canada, a group which opposes same-sex marriage."Vote Marriage Canada announces fifty pro-marriage candidates in the Prairie Provinces and the N.W.T." (official press release), Canada NewsWire, 08:40 report, 18 January 2006. Although Bruinooge is a member of the Manitoba Métis Federation, that organization endorsed Reg Alcock.Leah Janzen, "Alcock the target for years", Winnipeg Free Press, 25 January 2005, A12.
Bruinooge defeated Alcock by just over 100 votes on election day, in what most political observers considered a significant upset. Bruinooge was aided by a national trend toward his party, as well as by Alcock's decision to spend most of the campaign in other ridings. Alcock took personal responsibility for his defeat, and acknowledged that campaigning for Liberal candidates in other ridings hurt his own chances for re-election.Daniel Lett, "Winnipeg South/Reg Alcock", Winnipeg Free Press, 24 January 2006, B7.
The Conservatives won a minority government in the 2006 election. In early February 2006, Bruinooge was appointed parliamentary secretary to the Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development and the Federal Interlocutor for Métis and Non-Status Indians, and is the only Aboriginal member of the Governement benches.
Table of offices held
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External links
Electoral record
| 2006 federal election: Winnipeg South | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | Expenditures | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Conservative | Rod Bruinooge | 17,328 | 41.42 | |- |bgcolor="lightcoral"| | Liberal | (x)Reg Alcock | 17,217 | 41.15 | |- |bgcolor="sandybrown"| | New Democratic Party | Robert Page | 5,743 | 13.73 | |- |bgcolor="yellowgreen"| | Green | Wesley Owen Whiteside | 1,289 | 3.08 | |- |bgcolor="#CC6699"| | Christian Heritage | Heidi Loewen-Steffano | 259 | 0.62 | |
| Total valid votes | 41,836 | 100.00 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Total rejected ballots | 111 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Turnout | 41,947 | 70.39 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Electors on lists | 59,594 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2004 federal election: Winnipeg South (redistributed) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | Expenditures | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Liberal | (x)Reg Alcock | 19,270 | 51.31 | ,885.73 |- |bgcolor="cornflowerblue"| | Conservative | Rod Bruinooge | 12,770 | 34.00 | ,207.73 |- |bgcolor="sandybrown"| | New Democratic Party | Catherine Green | 4,217 | 11.23 | ,065.26 |- |bgcolor="yellowgreen"| | Green | Ron Cameron | 1,003 | 2.67 | 2.79 |- |bgcolor="#CC6699"| | Christian Heritage | Jane MacDiarmid | 296 | 0.79 | ,202.05 |
| Total valid votes | 37,556 | 100.00 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Total rejected ballots | 110 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Turnout | 37,666 | 63.23 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Electors on lists | 59,572 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
All electoral information is taken from Elections Canada. Italicized expenditures refer to submitted totals, and are presented when the final reviewed totals are not available.
Footnotes
Some biographical information is taken from Bruinooge's official website.
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