BRANDON — Former Dauphin-Swan River-Neepawa Conservative MP Robert Sopuck died earlier this week at the age of 73, his family confirmed Friday.
Marsha Street, Sopuck’s stepdaughter, said in a statement on behalf of the family that they “were shocked by the sudden, but peaceful passing of Robert on Oct. 23.”
Sopuck entered Parliament in 2010 when he won a byelection to replace Inky Mark in Dauphin-Swan River-Neepawa after Mark stepped down to run for mayor of Dauphin.
Former prime minister Stephen Harper welcomes former Dauphin-Swan River-Neepawa MP Robert Sopuck to the Conservative caucus on Parliament Hill in Ottawa in December 2010 after Sopuck won the byelection to replace Inky Mark. Sopuck died earlier this week at the age of 73. (File)
Sopuck was re-elected in the 2011 and 2015 federal elections. He retired from politics in 2019.
“Robert led a full life, rich in experience, love, challenges and accomplishments,” Street said. “He made major contributions to land, water and wildlife conservation locally and nationally; along the way he mentored many young people who, in various ways, have picked up the torch for issues and challenges that mattered to him; he was a loving husband, father, uncle and grandfather to family members who knew how much they were loved by him, and now keenly feel his untimely passing.”
Sopuck earned a master of science degree in fisheries science from Cornell University in 1975. As an MP in former prime minister Stephen Harper’s government, Sopuck served on the Standing Committee for Environment and Sustainable Development as well as the Standing Committee on Fisheries and Oceans.
Harper paid tribute to Sopuck on X, calling him a “formidable colleague.”
“He championed Ukraine’s sovereignty, chaired the Hunting and Angling Caucus, and worked tirelessly for the people of Western Manitoba,” Harper said. “Bob is in our prayers this evening as we extend our heartfelt condolences to his family and loved ones.”
After the Tories lost power in the 2015 federal election, Sopuck was tasked by former interim party leader Rona Ambrose to be the opposition critic for wildlife conservation and Parks Canada.
“Ottawa work aside, he looked forward to meeting and hearing the views of constituents, often in coffee shops or at post offices across the constituency,” Street said.
Brandon-Souris Conservative MP Larry Maguire said Sopuck was respected by all parties.
“He really was a man of the land,” Maguire said. “To the point where even on fisheries committees and that sort of thing here in Parliament, the government side when we were in opposition used to come and ask him if what they were doing was the proper thing. When he was in government, he was very well respected by all members of the opposition.”
In 2017, Safari Club International, a U.S. hunting organization, named Sopuck its “legislator of the year” at its annual conference in Las Vegas. Maguire recalled surprising Sopuck by making the trip to Nevada without telling him.
“He didn’t know I was there until he sat down at the table,” Maguire said. “He just looked up and said ‘what in the world are you doing here, Larry?’ That was probably the best reward that I ever got from the man. He was so shocked and thrilled to think that a colleague would come all the way down there and he didn’t even know about it. That was one of the best remembrances that I’ll ever have of he and (his wife) Caroline.”
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre said he was “deeply saddened” by Sopuck’s passing.
“Bob was a proud Manitoban and defender of all of Canada’s rural communities, and especially of our hunters and anglers,” Poilievre said on X.
In a news release Friday, Manitoba Progressive Conservative Leader Wayne Ewasko called Sopuck “a true champion for rural Manitoba and a mentor to many in the legislature.”
A celebration of life for Sopuck will be held at 2 p.m. on Nov. 2 at the Sandy Lake Community Hall.
— Brandon Sun