Former Pinewood man appointed to federal senate

Ken Johnston
Editor

A home town boy has reached a pinnacle in life that few people ever do.
Ron Duhamel, 63, was sworn in as a Canadian Senator on February 5, 2002. That honour has capped off an incredible career in politics as well as a life filled with many other achievements.
Duhamel, born in St. Boniface, Manitoba, came to the Rainy River District as a young boy. His father was a construction worker and moved around a great deal after World War II. His mother decided that they needed to settle in a place that would be good to raise a family in. They purchased land about five miles out of Pinewood and farmed it.
Ron grew up there and attended a rural French Language grade school in the Pinewood area. He then attended high school in Rainy River. At the young age of 16 he was at the right place at the right time. A shortage of teachers saw him move into the profession while still a teen himself. He taught at Britton & Wainwright, near Dryden. Being so young he didn’t tell his students the truth about his age.
After a year there he taught another year not far from there and then he came home and taught in Stratton for a year.
Then he decided to try his hand at something more labour intensive and tried mining, construction work and bush work. However he found that he missed teaching and decided a return to it was in his future, but not before he himself went back to school to learn.
He completed an undergraduate degree, his masters and a Ph. D. by 1973. He also attended teachers’ college at Lakehead University.
While teaching loomed in the back of his mind, he moved into the management field for education and stayed in it for more than a decade. He worked as a Director of Education in Peterborough, worked for the Kapuskasing School Board and finally in Ottawa.
While working for a board of ed. in Ottawa an assistant Deputy Minister for Francophonie position with the Manitoba government was offered to him. He took it and later became the Deputy Minister of all education in Manitoba.
In 1988 he decided to run for federal office in the riding of St. Boniface, Manitoba. He was elected four times in a row with at least 50% of the vote every time. He immediately began to climb the ladder of success within the Liberal Party. In Sept. 1990 he was appointed Party Critic for Secretary of State and Associate Critic for Federal/Provincial Relations. On Dec. 6, 1993 he was appointed Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Public Works and Government Services and a year later was appointed Parliamentary Secretary to President of the Treasury Board.
On June 11, 1997 he was sworn to the Queen’s Privy Council when appointed Secretary of State (Science, Research and Development and Western Economic Diversification). He was reappointed Sec. of State and Minister of Western Economic Diversification and of Francophonie on Aug. 3, 1999. While he maintained his Western Ec. Div. and Francophonie titles he was moved to Veterans Affairs as minister on Oct. 17, 2000. He remained there until he was promoted to one of the highest honours in Canada; a senator’s seat.
Duhamel said last Friday that he is just settling into the role of a senator. “Parliament is so competitive. This is more objective in nature.”
In addition to his successful education and political careers, he has been decorated with several awards over the years. They include, Young Leadership Award from Phi Delta Kappa (an international educational fraternity), Fellow of the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, Lieutenant-Governor’s Medal for Excellence in Public Administration, Chevalier de la Piéiade, Orde de la Francophonie et du dialogue des cultures.
He said that since his parents passed away he has not been in the district as often, but said, “It always holds a special soft spot in his heart.” He still has family in the area, including his cousin, Lorraine Giles of Rainy River.
Currently dealing with a health problem, Duhamel said that if able he would love to return to the area for the 100th Anniversary of Rainy River in 2004.