Denis Rocan facts for kids

Denis Rocan, born on February 14, 1949, is a former politician from Manitoba, Canada. He was a member of Manitoba's law-making group, called the Legislative Assembly, for many years (1986-2007). He also held an important job as the Speaker of the Assembly from 1988 to 1995. Mr. Rocan was part of the Progressive Conservative Party, but later became an independent politician in 2007.

About Denis Rocan

Denis Rocan was born in Somerset, Manitoba, into a French-Canadian family. He also has Métis heritage. He is a direct descendant of Jean-Baptiste Lagimodière and Marie-Anne Gaboury, who were the grandparents of Louis Riel. Mr. Rocan went to school in Winnipeg and Otterburne College. He can speak both English and French very well.

Before becoming a politician, Denis Rocan worked as a farmer. He also ran businesses that moved buildings and dealt with grain. He is a member of groups like the Shriners, Freemasons, and the Royal Canadian Legion.

Political Journey

Starting in Politics

Denis Rocan was first elected to the Manitoba legislature in the 1986 provincial election. He won the election in a rural area called Turtle Mountain. This area usually voted for the Progressive Conservative party. Mr. Rocan won by more than 2,000 votes. At that time, the New Democratic Party won the election, so Rocan served as a member of the "opposition." The opposition is the group of politicians who are not in charge of the government.

Becoming the Speaker

In the 1988 election, Denis Rocan was re-elected. His winning margin was smaller this time. After this election, the Progressive Conservatives formed a government, but they did not have a clear majority of seats. This is called a "minority government."

On July 21, 1988, Premier Gary Filmon chose Denis Rocan to be the Speaker of the Assembly. The Speaker is like the referee in a debate. They make sure that discussions in the Legislative Assembly follow the rules. Denis Rocan was the first Franco-Manitoban (a person of French-Canadian heritage from Manitoba) to be the Speaker for the province.

Later Years in the Legislature

Support for the Liberal Party went down in the 1990 provincial election. This made it easier for Denis Rocan to be re-elected in a new area called Gladstone. He won this area again in the 1995 election. However, he was not chosen to be the Speaker again. For the next four years, he served as a "backbench" member. This means he supported the government from the regular seats, not from a leadership position.

Denis Rocan was respected by all political parties in the legislature. When he was Speaker, there were no big arguments about whether he was fair or not.

Later, the voting areas changed again, and Rocan ran in the Carman area for the 1999 provincial election. He won easily and was re-elected again in the 2003 election. The Progressive Conservatives lost both of these elections to the New Democratic Party. So, Mr. Rocan continued to serve as a member of the opposition.

In 2003, he supported Premier Gary Doer's plan to ban smoking in public places.

End of Political Career

On November 16, 2006, Denis Rocan lost a vote to be the Progressive Conservative candidate for the Carman area in the next election. On April 18, 2007, he was removed from the Conservative group of politicians. This happened because he supported the New Democratic Party's budget, which his own party was against. He thought about running as an independent candidate in the 2007 election, but decided not to.

After leaving politics, Denis Rocan bought a small house in Arizona for the winter. He also became a long-haul truck driver.