Denis Rocan facts for kids

Denis Rocan (born February 14, 1949) is a former politician from Manitoba, Canada. He was a member of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba, which is like the provincial parliament, for many years. He also served as the Speaker of the assembly, acting like a referee to keep order during debates.

About Denis Rocan

Early Life and Background

Denis Rocan was born into a French-Canadian family in Somerset, Manitoba. He grew up in north-end Winnipeg. He also has Métis heritage. His family tree includes Jean-Baptiste Lagimodière and Marie-Anne Gaboury, who were the grandparents of the famous Métis leader Louis Riel.

Denis Rocan went to school at Sacré-Coeur in Winnipeg, Somerset Collegiate, and Otterburne College. He can speak both English and French very well. Before he became a politician, he worked as a farmer. He also ran businesses that moved buildings and dealt with grain. He is a member of community groups like the Shriners, freemasons, and the Royal Canadian Legion.

Starting in Politics

Denis Rocan was first elected to the Manitoba legislature in the 1986 provincial election. He represented the area called Turtle Mountain. This area is in southern Manitoba and usually votes for the Progressive Conservative party. Rocan won by a lot of votes. At that time, the New Democratic Party won the election, so Rocan was part of the opposition. This means his party was not in charge of the government.

Becoming the Speaker

In the 1988 election, Rocan was re-elected. His party, the Progressive Conservatives, won enough seats to form a minority government. This means they had the most seats but not enough to have full control without help from other parties.

On July 21, 1988, Denis Rocan was chosen to be the Speaker of the assembly by the Premier Gary Filmon. The Speaker's job is to make sure that debates in the legislature are fair and follow the rules. They are like a referee in a game. Denis Rocan was the first person of French-Manitoban background to serve as Speaker for the provincial assembly.

Later Years in the Legislature

Denis Rocan was easily re-elected in the 1990 and 1995 provincial elections for the area of Gladstone. After the 1995 election, he was not chosen to be Speaker again. Instead, he served as a "backbencher," which means he was a regular member of the government who supported Premier Filmon. People from all political parties respected Rocan. His time as Speaker was calm and fair, unlike some others who faced arguments about being biased.

For the 1999 provincial election, Rocan's area changed again to Carman. He won easily and was re-elected in the 2003 election too. However, the Progressive Conservatives lost both of these elections to the New Democratic Party. So, Rocan served as a member of the opposition again. He used to smoke and supported Premier Gary Doer's plan in 2003 to ban smoking in public places.

Denis Rocan also supported his friend Reg Alcock in federal elections in 2000 and 2004. Even though Alcock was from the Liberal Party, Rocan still helped him. Alcock won his elections in the Winnipeg South area.

Leaving Politics

On November 16, 2006, Denis Rocan lost the chance to be the Progressive Conservative candidate for Carman in the next election. Another person, Blaine Pedersen, was chosen instead. On April 18, 2007, Rocan was removed from the Conservative group in the legislature. 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 months. He then started working as a long-haul truck driver.