Robert-Falcon Ouellette
Robert-Falcon Ouellette is a Canadian politician, who also goes by the initials of RFO or simply called The Falcon, who represented the riding of Winnipeg Centre in the House of Commons of Canada for one term. He was previously a candidate for Mayor of Winnipeg in the 2014 municipal election, finishing third.
Of mixed French and Cree descent, Ouellette was a veteran of nearly twenty years in the Canadian Forces and a university professor before his entry into politics.
Early life and career
Ouellette was born and raised in Calgary. His namesake was his mother's younger brother Robert-Falcon Green who died in 1961 at age 9. His mother was born in Tottenham, North London and moved from England to Canada in 1974 and his father was mix of Cree and Métis and from the Red Pheasant First Nation, located south of North Battleford, Saskatchewan. Ouellette was raised primarily by his mother, a poorly educated woman with a history of depression. Ouellette's father was a student in the Canadian Indian residential school system and an alcoholic who was sometimes absent.Ouellette grew up in poor conditions, often going hungry, and he once spent a summer homeless in Winnipeg. Determined to change her son's future, Ouellette's mother insisted that he take the admissions test for the Strathcona-Tweedsmuir School, an elite private school. After Ouellette was admitted, his mother paid for his tuition by taking out a loan she could not afford to pay back.
Ouellette earned a bachelor of arts in music from the University of Calgary, a master's in music and a master's in education from Laval University, and a PhD in anthropology, also from Laval.
He retired from the Royal Canadian Navy after nearly two decades of service with the rank of Petty Officer 2nd class and remains as part of the Naval Reserve. He moved to Winnipeg in 2011 from Quebec City after he was appointed as director of Aboriginal Focus Programs at the University of Manitoba.
Municipal politics
In 2005, Ouelette ran for a council seat for Quebec City Council, but lost by 170 votes.Ouellette finished third in the 2014 Winnipeg mayoral election. He had run on a platform of dedicated infrastructure funding and campaign finance reform. Shortly after his defeat, he declared that he was developing a business plan to open a Winnipeg university catering to indigenous post-secondary students.
Federal politics
In the 2015 election, Ouellette took over 50% of the vote and defeated longtime NDP MP Pat Martin in Winnipeg Centre. Ouellette resigned his position with the University of Manitoba in July 2015 to focus on his campaign. After his election, Ouellette was considered a leading candidate for the position of Minister of Aboriginal Affairs.Ouellette withdrew from the race to be Speaker of the House of Commons after making comments at a Winnipeg town hall meeting stating the position comes with "great influence" over the Prime Minister to the extent of calling the Prime Minister to the Speaker's Chair to address constituent's concerns.
He was the only Liberal MP to have voted against the bill that legalized euthanasia, saying it was against his deep spiritual beliefs. He voted in support Nathaniel Erskine-Smith's Bill C-246: An Act to amend the Criminal Code, the Fisheries Act, the Textile Labelling Act, the Wild Animal and Plant Protection and Regulation of International and Interprovincial Trade Act and the Canada Consumer Product Safety Act. Ouellette also voted against the bill that ordered striking Canada Post staff back to work for supporting employees in Canada Post dispute. Ouellette is one of the MPs who break ranks most often still toe the party line more than 87% of the time.
Ouellette was the chair of Indigenous Caucus and the member of Standing Committee on Health and Finance. He is also the co-chair of All-Party Parliamentary Group to end Slavery and Human Trafficking. He is a supporter of the Moose Hide Campaign which is aimed to fight against violence towards women and children and human trafficking in Canada.
Since elected in 2015, Ouellette started to fight for rights of indigenous languages. On May 4, 2017, Ouellette gave the first entire speech in an indigenous language in the House of Commons about violence and missing and murdered indigenous women and girls, and asked the House of Commons to offer translation services. The House of Commons adopted changes to provide for the simultaneous interpretation of Indigenous languages during proceedings late in 2018. On January 28, 2019 Ouellette became the first MP to speak in an indigenous language while the House provided live translation.
Ouellette has been working on the historic Child & Family Welfare Law since 2015. The legislation, Bill C-92, would ensure that Indigenous government jurisdiction on this matter over rides other levels of government including provincial and federal. This is permitted under section 92 of the Constitution. This bill was co-developed with Indigenous partners, including the Assembly of First Nations, Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami, and the Metis National Council, Bill C-92 seeks to affirm Indigenous peoples’ inherent right to exercise jurisdiction over child and family services. Indigenous peoples should be allowed to care for their own children in a culturally appropriate way. For over 20 years in Manitoba, NDP and Conservative governments took more children into the child welfare system than at any point during the height of the Indian Residential School era. The Federal Child Welfare Reform legislation has passed and will come into force in its entirety on January 1, 2020.
Since 2016, Ouellette started to work with Lillian Dyck for a new law which would help protect Indigenous women if they were victims of violent crime. The vote was lost and the bill defeated during second reading in the House of Commons in April 2019.
In May 2016, Ouellete introduced his first Private Member's Bill C-318: National Residential School Memorial Day to Parliament.
In February 2016, Ouellette sponsored Dougald Lamont's petition : E-211 to call upon the Minister of Finance to join with interested Provinces, Municipalities and Indigenous communities to fund and launch experimental pilot Mincome projects, as soon as possible, in order to determine the efficacy and viability of a Guaranteed Minimum Income in Canada, and to include funding for these projects in the 2016-2017 budget.
In July 2016, Ouellette sponsored Collin Bryce Theo Kennedy's petition: E-492 to call upon the Minister of Health to and Minister of Transportation to request enforcement of the Canada Health Act to:
1. Ensure there is adequate cost-free parking for patients and caregivers in and around medical facilities; and
2. Where metered parking is not to be removed, that there is a means to identify those who are utilizing the parking space in order to gain access to medical facilities without cost to the patient; their family or caregivers regardless of the duration.
In September 2017, Ouellette sponsored Jeff Ward's petition: E-607 to call upon the House of Commons to designate June 21 of each year as a legal holiday to be kept and observed throughout Canada. This day should serve to create and strengthen opportunities for Reconciliation and cultural exchange among Canadians. The day should facilitate connections between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Canadians in positive and meaningful ways. This day should solidify the original intent of National Aboriginal Day as a day for Canadians to recognize and celebrate the unique heritage, diverse cultures and outstanding contributions of First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples.
In September 2017, Ouellette sponsored Jodene McNarland's petition: E-1234 to call upon the House of Commons to provide interpretation and translation services in Nehiyawewin/Cree in the House of Commons.
In October 2018, Ouellette sponsored Renate Schulz's petition:E-1866 to call upon the Government of Canada to draft legislation immediately in order to ban handguns and military-style assault weapons in Canada.
In December 2018, Ouellette sponsored Randolph Shrofel's petition: E-1961 to call upon the Government of Canada to revise the Coat of Arms of Canada to include representation of the Indigenous peoples of Canada.
In May 2019, Ouellette sponsored Renae Shingoose's petition: E-2160 to call upon the House of Commons to appeal and revise the decision of Bill S-215 to where treatment and rehabilitation is mandatory for all violent offenders of Aboriginal women.
In June 2019, Ouellette sponsored Yasir Naqvi's petition : E-2240 to call upon the House of Commons to cooperate and Pass Bill C-99 to update Canada's Oath of Citizenship to respect and recognize Indigenous rights before the House rises on June 21, 2019.
In September 2018, to raise awareness about the violence and drug addiction issues facing Winnipeg and get the provincial and city government's actions, Ouellette erected a tipi in Central Park, a no-go zone in Winnipeg, and slept out in the open for a few days. Then he worked with Doug Eyolfson to provide a substantive House of Commons Health Committee Report on meth & addiction. He also called on all MPs to combat meth crisis in November 2018.
He was defeated in the 2019 election.
Personal life
Ouellette lives in the inner city of West Broadway, Winnipeg.Electoral record
| Candidate | Votes | % |
| Brian Bowman | 111,504 | 47.54 |
| Judy Wasylycia-Leis | 58,440 | 24.29 |
| Robert-Falcon Ouellette | 36,823 | 15.70 |
| Gord Steeves | 21,080 | 8.99 |
| David Sanders | 3,718 | 1.59 |
| Paula Havixbeck | 2,083 | 0.89 |
| Michel Fillion | 898 | 0.38 |