ROBERT D. SOPUCK

Robert Sopuck, Member of Parliament for Dauphin-Swan River-Marquette, was first elected in the 2010 November By-election in Dauphin-Swan River-Marquette and then again in the 41^st federal election in May of 2011.

Bob is currently an outspoken member of the Standing Committee for Environment and Sustainable Development as well as the Committee on Fisheries and Oceans. In addition, Bob chairs the Manitoba Regional Caucus as well as the Canada-Ukraine Parliamentary Friendship Group.

Robert Sopuck received his B.Sc. from the University of Manitoba in 1973 and Masters from Cornell University (1975) in Ithaca, New York. His first career (1976-1979) was in fisheries management where he was the District Biologist (Eastern Arctic) for the federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans and then as Fisheries Biologist for the Province of Manitoba. He lived on his farm from 1979 to 1988.

From 1988 to 1996 he coordinated the sustainable development initiative for the Province of Manitoba. Duties included the development of a sustainable development strategy for Manitoba, development of Manitoba’s water strategy, and providing staff support to the Sustainable Development Committee of Cabinet. He was Manitoba’s observer on the Founding Board of the International Institute for Sustainable Development. In 1996 he took a position with the Pine Falls Paper Company as Director of Environmental Programs. In this position he was responsible for all aspects of the company’s environmental performance ranging from the management of a wastewater treatment plant to permitting and to compliance with the terms and conditions of the environmental license. He was also on the Board of the Manitoba Habitat Heritage Corporation at this time.

In 1998 he moved back to his farm in Western Manitoba where he currently resides. He was the Vice-President of Policy (Western Canada) for the Delta Waterfowl Foundation from 2000 -2009 and the Director of the “Smart Green” environmental policy project and the “Rural Renaissance Project” for the Frontier Centre for Public Policy. He has had extensive experience in agricultural and rural policy analysis and development. He chaired the board of the Manitoba fisheries development group known as the Fish and Lake Improvement Program for the Parkland Region and is the hunting and outdoors columnist for the Winnipeg Free Press. He is currently a natural resources specialist with AMEC Earth and Environmental Limited and supervised an oil exploration and drilling program in Alberta during the winter of 2009/2010.

In October, 2007 he was appointed by Canada’s Minister of the Environment to the National Round Table on the Environment and the Economy, the primary advisory body to the federal government on environmental and natural resources policy.

He has operated a grain and oilseed farm, a small outfitting business, and carried out consulting work in the areas of environmental assessment and resource management.

In all of these activities he has earned a solid reputation as an outspoken advocate for Manitoba’s rural communities. He has a very strong knowledge about the workings of government and industry, having held senior positions in both.

He and his wife, Caroline, live on their 480 acres of land in the Sandy Lake area. He and Caroline have 2 children and a granddaughter.

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