Sopuck not seeking re-election

Details

Published on Saturday, May 5, 2018

 By Ken Waddell
Neepawa Banner and Press, Rivers Banner

Robert Sopuck, Member of Parliament for Dauphin-Swan River-Neepawa will not be running in the next federal election. Sopuck who is in his third term as MP, made the announcement Saturday morning at the DSRN constituency annual meeting for the Conservative Party of Canada.

He said he spoke earlier in the week to the party leadership and to the Manitoba CPC caucus and his staff and he wanted to let the constituency know his intentions so they can have time to set up a candidate selection process. “One thing I have learned,” said Sopuck, “is that nobody is indispensable. I learned from (former Manitoba premier) Duff Roblin who said that a politician can stay too long. A politician should leave when they are still welcome.” He plans to fill out the balance of his term.

Sopuck said he looks forward to spending more time on their farm that he and his wife Caroline have worked very hard build up. 

Sopuck, who describes himself as a “right wing environmentalist”, has  a long history in fisheries and conservation and is one of Canada’s strongest proponents of the rural lifestyle and the tremendous benefits of a strong agricultural economy. He will be travelling a lot over the next few months, spreading the conservative message on everything from conservation to farming to rural lifestyles as he works with constituencies across the country. While he travels he will be released from some of his parliamentary duties to allow him to speak at various places.

The DSRN constituency association will start immediately to set up a candidate selection process.