Romeo LeBlanc, Canada’s first Acadian governor general, dies

OTTAWA — Romeo LeBlanc, the first Acadian to be appointed governor general of Canada and a central figure in the Liberal party for more than two decades, has died after a lengthy illness.

Born in the tiny farming community of Memramcook in southeastern New Brunswick, LeBlanc worked as a teacher and then as a journalist before moving to the political arena.

He became an important player in the federal Liberal party, serving as press secretary to former Liberal prime ministers Lester Pearson and Pierre Trudeau, before being elected as a New Brunswick MP in 1972.

As federal fisheries minister in the Trudeau cabinet, he was called the “fishermen’s minister.”

He was also instrumental in establishing Canada’s 200-mile offshore economic zone and helped shape the International Law of the Sea.

LeBlanc became a Senator in 1984, was appointed Speaker of the Senate in 1993 and became governor general in 1995.

Throughout his political and vice-regal career, LeBlanc was known for his humility.

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Ill health forced LeBlanc to leave Rideau Hall early in 1999 before his five-year tenure was up.

As governor general, LeBlanc proclaimed National Aboriginal Day on June 21. “We owe aboriginals a debt that is four centuries old,” he once said.

He was also credited with opening Rideau Hall to the public, holding a garden party in 1997 that drew 10,000 people to its gardens.

LeBlanc was born in 1927 in the Memramcook Valley and spent his childhood there.
LeBlanc is survived by his wife, Diana Fowler LeBlanc, and four children.

:patriot: (please ingore the fact that this is a Star Spangled Banner instead of a Maple Leaf)