Rheaume, Eugène M.P.

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Eugène "Gene" Rhéaume. (1932-2013)

Gene was born on December 3, 1932 at High Prairie, Alberta, the son of rigene!hea"me an# $tella %annat&ne' A etis, he was a Progressie *onseratie +olitician,

ins"rance agent an# social worer' He too his %A at the niersit& of $asatchewan an#

com+lete# a %$. at niersit& of %ritish *ol"mbia in 19/' "gne first ran for theHo"se of *ommons in orthwest 4erritories the 192 fe#eral election against 5sabel

Har#ie6 he lost the election b& onl& 300 otes' He face# Har#ie again 7"st a &ear later in

the 193 election, this time #efeating her'

"gne sere# in the Ho"se of *ommons for one term, before being #efeate# in the 19/

election' He attem+te# a comebac in the 198 r"nning in the $asatoon-H"mbol#telectoral #istrict in an# was #efeate# b& inc"mbent tto :ang'

Idolizing Riel, MP Gene Rheaume helped Métis find a

placeSUSAN FERRIER MA!A" Special to The Globe and Mail

Published Tuesday, Dec. 10 2013, 10:46 PM EST

Last updated Tuesday, Dec. 10 2013, 10:48 PM EST

Mr. Rheaume served as an MP for the Northwest Territories from 1963 to 1965. Politically, heidentified with the NP, !ut he !elieved that the way to "et thin"s done was to run for the#arty in #ower.

$n %ttawa, Mr. Rheaume !ecame well li&ed and well connected. 'e was instrumental in the19(1 formation of the Native )ouncil of )anada *)on"ress of +!ori"inal Peo#les, the national

voice for native #eo#le livin" off-reserve. They, in turn, were successful in havin" Mtis#eo#les included under the $ndian +ct in )anada/s )onstitution +ct of 190. +s a result, itwould !e e2tremely difficult for Parliament to e2clude today/s 04,444 Mtis from anydiscussions the federal "overnment may have a!out its res#onsi!ility toward them.

ene Rheaume died on Nov. 1 in Penticton, .)., at the a"e of 04, from com#lications arisin"from cancer sur"ery.

7riends, family and co-wor&ers remem!er Mr. Rheaume for his colourful lan"ua"e *8stuc& li&esnot to a hot oven door, his sense of humour, and his storytellin" a!ilities. +t a :iar/s )lu! inthe Northwest Territories, he won two titles for s#innin" the !est yarn. + #ro!lem arose thethird time he attem#ted to enter. Mr. Rheaume said, 8y that time $/d !ecome a mem!er ofParliament, so they dis;ualified me on the "rounds $ had !ecome a #rofessional. $t was oneof many stories he loved to tell.

<rudite and mischievous, ene Rheaume "ot a &ic& out of sha&in" thin"s u# at the 'ouse of)ommons. urin" a ta#ed interview, he recalled a s#eech that he made in the 'ouse= 8$ said >?ou southern )anadians cower alon" the 9th #arallel. ?ou/ve for"otten what it feels li&e to!reathe fresh air. ?our idea of adventure is to sit in your houses and turn u# your thermostatsand sit there li&e "reat #uddin"s with the sauce of television #ourin" over you./ Mr. Rheaumewas tic&led that his im#rom#tu s#eech "arnered a lot of attention in the #ress. 'e said, 8$sorta &new what $ was "oin" to say and $ thin& $ mi"ht/ve had a cou#le of drin&s !eforehand.

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Mr. Rheaume haran"ued the "overnment at every o##ortunity a!out a##allin" housin"conditions for a!ori"inal #eo#le in the Northwest Territories. 'e de#lored the fact that, in1963, electricity was availa!le to "overnment a"encies yet not availa!le to indi"enous #eo#lein northern communities= 8$ have as&ed ;uestions a!out this @electricityA, said Mr. Rheaumein Parliament.8 $ am usually told >The $ndians did not as& for it/ or >The <s&imos did not as& forit./ 'e #ointed out that a!ori"inal #eo#le in the Northwest Territories "ot many thin"s theydidn/t as& for, includin" the )riminal )ode. 8Burely, he said, 8the time has #assed when we

should run a #ower line over the roofs of the houses of the $ndian and <s&imo #eo#le on itsway to an R)MP station, for e2am#le, without seein" that those #eo#le derive some share ofits !enefitsC Burely, if we can send our children in the North to million-dollar schools D and $a##rove of this D we should not e2#ect the same children to come home to study !y coal oil or"asoline lam#s, if indeed they have such lam#s. $n many cases the only li"ht availa!le iscandleli"ht.

Endaunted !y losin" his seat in the 1965 federal election, Mr. Rheaume hel#ed found theNative 'ousin" Tas& 7orce and !ecame its national chairman. 7unded !y the )anada 'ousin"and Mort"a"e )or#oration, the tas& force was res#onsi!le for !uildin" and re#airin" thousandsof homes in needy communities.

+ man of manic ener"y who could "o for days with little slee#, Mr. Rheaume served on the

Royal )ommission on Newfoundland and :a!rador e2aminin" services to native #eo#le, theRoyal )ommission on electoral reform in )anada and countless #arliamentary committees.+fter hel#in" or"aniFe the 196( )onservative leadershi# convention in Toronto, Mr. Rheaumes#ent two years as an assistant to 19( #rime ministerial candidate Ro!ert Btanfield. Mr.Rheaume was a mentor to many, includin" Tony elcourt, one of the #reeminent Mtis leadersin )anada. Mr. elcourt says, 8ene was the most influential #erson in my #olitical career. 'edidn/t ta&e any "uff, and he always led with humour. 'e was !rilliant.

<u"ene *ene Rheaume was !orn on ec. 3, 193, in 'i"h Prairie, +lta., the ei"hth of ninechildren. 'is 7rench-)anadian father, %ri"ene Rheaume, was a mana"er for the 'udson/s ay)om#any. 'e eventually "ave u# fur tradin" to wor& for a "old-minin" com#any. 'is mother,Btella annatyne, of Bcottish, %Gi!wa and Mtis herita"e, s#o&e )ree as her first lan"ua"e.

$n 1933, the Rheaumes moved to od/s :a&e, Man., Gust south of )hurchill. The minin"com#any wouldn/t allow the family to live on its land !ecause Btella annatyne was of mi2edrace. + near!y reserve also reGected them !ecause %ri"ene Rheaume wasn/t a!ori"inal.%ri"ene Rheaume solved the issue !y !uildin" his family a lo" ca!in at the midway #oint!etween the mine and the reserve. 'is children lived a life of freedom, with nature as their#lay"round. The nearest residential school was 54 &ilometres away, while the local school, run!y the minin" com#any, char"ed H5 #er month #er childI too e2#ensive for a lar"e familydurin" the reat e#ression. Btella Rheaume tau"ht her children from encyclo#edias while herhus!and saved enou"h money to send his !rood to school for the e2am month of June. eneRheaume always #assed, even s&i##in" a "rade.

+fter the minin" com#any closed, the Rheaumes moved to 7lin 7lon, where ene Rheaumecom#leted hi"h school and won several scholarshi#s to the Eniversity of Bas&atchewan. 'ecom#leted his + in <n"lish in 1953. Thin&in" he mi"ht !ecome a #riest, he !riefly attended a

seminary in Toronto. E#on returnin" to Bas&atchewan, his calm #riest-li&e demeanourim#ressed 'elen essler, the youn"er sister of a friend. They married in 195 when she was19 and he was a 1-year-old wor&in" for the Bas&atchewan "overnment as an untrained socialwor&er. The youn" hus!and eventually "ot a de"ree in social wor& with the hel# of hisem#loyer.

$n 1950, he Goined the e#artment of Northern +ffairs, s#endin" a summer travellin" toremote northern communities a!oard the ).. 'owe. The mission of the shi# was to return$nuit #atients from southern hos#itals, to K-ray #eo#le in settlements and to ta&e those who

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tested #ositive for tu!erculosis south for treatment. Mr. Rheaume was in char"e of findin"foster homes for children who lost care"ivers. 'e found the #rocess e2tremely distur!in". 'etold his !io"ra#her 7red 7avel, 8They Gust too& them out and left families standin" on the!each, sometimes Gust little &ids.

etween 1955 and 1963, ene Rheaume had si2 children of his own, five sons and adau"hter. +lthou"h he was a!sent much of the time, travellin" across )anada and the world toattend indi"enous #eo#le/s summits, he made a #oint to encoura"e his children/s interests.au"hter Jocelyn Rheaume said, 8'e was a terri!ly com#le2 man. 'e was very wellaccom#lished, funny as hell and "enerous. 'e loved travel. 'e loved adventure. 'e was#olitical. 'e was literary. +nd he was a rascal, too.

$n 19(1, Mr. Rheaume heard that one of :ouis Riel/s diaries, written durin" the 1005 attle ofatoche, was comin" u# for auction in Montreal. Mr. Rheaume feared an im#ortant #art of)anadian history would !e lost if the !oo& fell into the hands of +merican collectors. Throu"hhis connections, he learned the "overnment was only willin" to s#end H15,444 to #urchase thevalua!le !oo&. 'e or"aniFed a consortium and #laced the winnin" !id of H6,544. Mr.Rheaume was ;uoted in the Montreal aFette sayin", 8My "reat-"randfather served in Riel/s#rovisional "overnment. $ !ou"ht it as !oth a )anadian and a Mtis. The diary now resideswith the #rovincial archives of Bas&atchewan.

'elen Rheaume was drivin" home when she heard news on the radio of her hus!and/s#urchase. $t was ty#ical that he would do thin"s without consultin" herI however, theyremained ha##ily married for 4 years. +fter an amica!le divorce, Mr. Rheaume/s #artner forthe final 15 years of his life was a widowed family friend, Mar"aret 'ill of %&ana"an 7alls, .).

Reflectin" !ac& over his accom#lishments, Mr. Rheaume said, 8$ see myself as a man at #eacewith his achievements, an entertainin" #erson who has lots of friends that li&e to !e with me,not a !itter &ind of #erson full of self-fla"ellation a!out the thin"s $ didn/t do that $ #erha#sshould/ve or could/ve. $/m &ind of self-satisfied with what $/ve done, who $/ve "otten to &now,and the ;uality of my children and "randchildren. Pretty #leased a!out that. No!ody/s "oin" to#ut u# a statue to me. Nor would $ want them to. $/m deli"hted to !e in a situation where $can Gust wind down and watch the sunsets and e2#ect that my sunset will !e comin" soon and

that/ll suit me Gust fine.

;ormer etis member of Parliament +asses awa& in %ritish *ol"mbia

PENTICTON, B.C. The Congress of Aboriginal Peoples says a high profile Métis leader who was

elected to Parliament died Friday in the south Okanagan city of Penticton, B.C., Eugène

Rhéaume was 80.

Rhéaume ran unsuccessfully for a seat in the House in March 1962, but he was elected to

represent the opposition Progressive Conservatives in the Northwest Territories one year later

when Lester Pearson was the Liberal prime minister.

He served on nine Parliamentary committees, including fisheries, Indian affairs, human rights and

citizenship, as well as mines, forests and waters.

He was defeated in the 1965 and 1974 federal elections, and according to the parliamentary

website, worked as an administrator, insurance agent and social worker.

The congress' National Chief Betty Ann Lavallée says Rhéaume was an honorary member of the

organization and a member of the Aboriginal Order of Canada.

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Rheaume, Eugène M.P.

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