42 Facts About Rod Bruinooge

Rod E Bruinooge was born on May 6,1973 and is an Indigenous Canadian politician, businessman, and filmmaker.

Rod Bruinooge was elected as the Member of Parliament for Winnipeg South in the 2006 federal election, and was the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development and the Federal Interlocutor for Metis and Non-Status Indians from 2006 until the fall of 2008.

Rod Bruinooge retired from parliament at the 2015 federal election.

Rod Bruinooge was later appointed the first Indigenous Film Commissioner for Manitoba in 2021.

Later, Rod Bruinooge was appointed the Chief Executive Officer of the Manitoba Research Network in 2024.

Rod Bruinooge himself was born in Thompson, Manitoba, and holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science from the University of Manitoba.

Rod Bruinooge attended the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada's 1993 leadership convention as a youth delegate, supporting Kim Campbell.

Rod Bruinooge became chief executive and president of Abject Modernity Internet Creations Ltd.

Rod Bruinooge has served as a director of the River View Health Centre and the Manitoba Children's Museum, and has done organizational work for the Winnipeg Aboriginal Film and Video Festival and the North American Indigenous Games.

In February 1999, Rod Bruinooge held a launch event at Time Square in New York City, where 999 copies of The Stone were handed out to guests.

The Stone was completed in 2007 and Rod Bruinooge was active in its final deployment.

Rod Bruinooge started the Winnipeg International Film Festival in 2005, and was its executive director until February 2006.

In 2020 Rod Bruinooge appeared in an episode of CBC's Burden of Truth alongside Kristin Kreuk as a First Nation relative of recurring character Cody Chartrand.

Rod Bruinooge is a member of the Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists union, since 2019.

Rod Bruinooge was appointed Interim-CEO for the provincial crown agency Manitoba Film and Music in 2021 and became Canada's first Indigenous Film Commissioner at that time.

Rod Bruinooge was a frequent candidate for public office before his election in 2006.

Rod Bruinooge 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.

Rod Bruinooge later campaigned as the Conservative candidate for Winnipeg South in the 2004 federal election.

Rod Bruinooge was one of only three aboriginal candidates to run for the Conservative Party in the 2004 election.

Rod Bruinooge finished second in the election against Liberal incumbent Reg Alcock.

Rod Bruinooge sought the Conservative nomination for Winnipeg South for a second time in the spring of 2005, but lost to rival candidate Hugh McFadyen by a narrow margin.

McFadyen resigned his federal nomination when he chose to run provincially, and Rod Bruinooge was chosen as the Conservative candidate in his place.

Rod Bruinooge's candidacy was endorsed on January 18,2006 by Vote Marriage Canada, a group which opposes same-sex marriage.

Rod Bruinooge defeated Alcock by 111 votes on election day, in what most political observers described as a significant upset.

Rod Bruinooge was aided by a national trend toward his party, as well as by Alcock's decision to spend most of his time canvassing with Liberal candidates in other ridings.

In early February 2006, Rod Bruinooge was appointed parliamentary secretary to the Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development and the Federal Interlocutor for Metis and Non-Status Indians.

Rod Bruinooge was the only Aboriginal member of the Government benches until Rob Clarke was elected on the byelections of March 17,2008.

On June 11,2008 during Canada's official apology to the victims of Residential Schools, Rod Bruinooge had the honour of being part of the official delegation walking into the House of Commons with the four Indigenous leaders and the Prime Minister.

At the Assembly of First Nations General Assembly in Nova Scotia in July 2007, Rod Bruinooge described the Paul Martin government's Kelowna Accord on aboriginal investment as nothing more than an "expensive press release".

Rod Bruinooge was then tasked with managing the legislation providing First Nation reserves with access to the Canadian Human Rights Act.

In January 2008, Rod Bruinooge said that the Harper government was considering adapting provincial funding models in British Columbia and Alberta to address education and child-welfare programs in Manitoba.

Rod Bruinooge was re-elected over Liberal candidate John Loewen in the 2008 federal election.

Immediately after the election, Rod Bruinooge turned down an offer to become Parliamentary Secretary for INAC, citing a desire to focus his attention on the riding and spend more time with his family.

In December 2008, Rod Bruinooge was elected Chair of the Parliamentary Pro Life Caucus and was reported by the Canadian Press as stating that unborn children had less legal value in Canada than a human kidney.

In February 2009, Rod Bruinooge founded the Conservative Post-Secondary Education Caucus to which he was elected chair.

Rod Bruinooge is vice-chair of the Canada-US Interparliamentary Group and the Canada-Holland Friendship Group.

Rod Bruinooge is a member of the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage.

In May 2011, Rod Bruinooge wrote an op-ed that ran nationally celebrating the renewal of Winnipeg in conjunction with the return of the Winnipeg Jets.

Rod Bruinooge argued that Winnipeg was North America's best kept secret with new attractions such as the Canadian Museum for Human Rights and updated infrastructure like the Winnipeg James Armstrong Richardson International Airport.

On January 4,2012 the Winnipeg Free Press reported that Rod Bruinooge would remain in Ottawa and not seek the leadership.

Rod Bruinooge held a consultation in Winnipeg with industry and business leaders from across Manitoba to discuss a renewal of the government's Global Commerce Strategy.

Rod Bruinooge announced his plans to not seek re-election in January 2015.