View source for Rodger Cuzner

{{short description|Canadian politician|bot=PearBOT 5}}
{{Use Canadian English|date=January 2023}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| honorific-prefix    = [[The Honourable]]
| name                = Rodger Cuzner
| honorific-suffix    = 
| image               = 
| office              = [[Senate of Canada|Senator]] for [[Nova Scotia]]
| term_start          = October 31, 2023
| term_end            = 
| nominator           = [[Justin Trudeau]]
| appointed           = [[Mary Simon]]
| predecessor         = 
| successor           = 
| office1             = [[Consul General]] of [[Canada]] to the [[United States]]
| term_start1         = October 30, 2020
| term_end1           = June 2023
| primeminister1      = [[Justin Trudeau]]
| predecessor1        = [[David Alward]]
| successor1          = [[Bernadette Jordan]]
| riding2             = [[Cape Breton—Canso]]<br />{{small|([[Bras d'Or—Cape Breton]]; 2000–2004)}}
| parliament2         = Canadian
| term_start2         = November 27, 2000
| term_end2           = October 21, 2019
| predecessor2        = [[Michelle Dockrill]]
| successor2          = [[Mike Kelloway]]
| title3              = [[Parliamentary secretary#Canada|Parliamentary Secretary]] posts
| suboffice4          = Parliamentary Secretary to the [[Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Official Languages|Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Labour]]
| subterm4            = 2015–2019
| suboffice5          = Parliamentary Secretary to the [[Prime Minister of Canada|Prime Minister]]
| subterm5            = 2003
| title6              = [[Shadow Cabinet]] posts
| suboffice7          = Critic for [[Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Official Languages|Employment and Social Development]]
| subterm7            = 2013–2015
| suboffice8          = Critic for [[Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Official Languages|Human Resources and Skills Development]]
| subterm8            = 2011–2013
| suboffice9          = Critic for [[Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard|Fisheries and Oceans]]
| subterm9            = 2010–2011
| suboffice10         = [[Party whip (Canada)|Chief Opposition Whip]]
| subterm10           = 2008–2010
| suboffice11         = Critic for [[Minister of Veterans Affairs (Canada)|Veterans Affairs]]
| subterm11           = 2006–2007
| birth_date          = {{birth date and age | 1955|11|04}}
| birth_place         = [[Glace Bay]], [[Nova Scotia]], Canada
| death_date          = 
| death_place         = 
| residence           = [[Cape Breton]]
| spouse              = Lynn Cuzner
| profession          = Diplomat, Politician, Community organizer
| party               = [[Progressive Senate Group]]
| otherparty               = [[Liberal Party of Canada|Liberal]] (until 2019)
}}
'''Rodger Trueman Cuzner''' {{post-nominals|country=CAN}} (born November 4, 1955) is a [[Canadians|Canadian]] politician and diplomat who currently serves as a [[Senate of Canada|Senator]] for [[Nova Scotia]] in the [[Senate of Canada]]. He previously served as the [[Member of Parliament (Canada)|Member of Parliament]] in the [[House of Commons of Canada]] for the riding of [[Cape Breton—Canso]] and its predecessor, [[Bras d'Or—Cape Breton]], from 2000 to 2019. For most of 2003, he served as [[List of Parliamentary Secretaries of Canada|Parliamentary Secretary]] to the [[Prime Minister of Canada|Prime Minister]] under [[Jean Chrétien]], and served as [[Parliamentary secretary|Parliamentary Secretary]] for [[Employment and Social Development Canada|Employment, Workforce Development and Labour]] in the [[29th Canadian Ministry|Justin Trudeau government]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://pm.gc.ca/eng/parliamentary-secretaries/rodger-cuzner|title=Rodger Cuzner|website=Prime Minister of Canada|language=en|access-date=2018-11-24}}</ref> Between 2020 and 2023, Cuzner served as the [[Consul General]] of [[Canada]] to the [[United States]] ([[Boston]]).

==Early life and education==
Cuzner was born the second of six children born to Trueman and Kay Cuzner in [[Glace Bay]], [[Nova Scotia]]. He studied physical education at [[St. Francis Xavier University]] in [[Antigonish, Nova Scotia|Antigonish]]. He worked as the Special Event Coordinator for the [[Cape Breton Regional Municipality|Cape Breton]] Department of Recreation, Culture and Facilities, where he was responsible for major events like the Millennium Countdown 2000. Cuzner has been very involved with hockey throughout his life. He coached Team Nova Scotia at the [[Canada Games]] in 1995 and 1999.

==Political career==
Cuzner was a member of the [[Liberal Party of Canada]] in the [[House of Commons of Canada]], representing the riding of [[Bras d'Or—Cape Breton]] and, later, [[Cape Breton—Canso]]. He was first elected in 2000.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.herald.ns.ca/cgi-bin/home/displaypackstory?2000/11/28+232.raw+FE00Nov28+2|title=Liberals stage C.B. comeback|work=The Chronicle Herald|date=November 28, 2000|accessdate=2014-09-29|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20050124084348/http://www.herald.ns.ca/cgi-bin/home/displaypackstory?2000%2F11%2F28+232.raw+FE00Nov28+2|archivedate=January 24, 2005|url-status=dead}}</ref> Cuzner served as [[Parliamentary Secretary]] to former [[Prime Minister of Canada|Prime Minister]] [[Jean Chrétien]] from January 13, 2003, to December 11, 2003, and held other key positions within the [[Liberal Party of Canada|Liberal]] Caucus, including chair of [[Nova Scotia]] Caucus, chair of [[Atlantic Canada|Atlantic]] Caucus, and [[Chief Opposition Whip (Canada)|Chief Opposition Whip]]. He also served as the [[Parliamentary Secretary]] for [[Employment and Social Development Canada|Employment, Workforce Development and Labour]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.saltwire.com/cape-breton/news/local/cuzner-named-parliamentary-secretary-10700/|title=Cuzner named parliamentary secretary|work=Cape Breton Post|date=December 2, 2015|accessdate=2021-04-26}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/trudeau-parliamentary-secretaries-named-1.3346942 | title=Bill Blair, Adam Vaughan among new parliamentary secretaries | publisher=[[CBC News]] | accessdate=2015-12-11 | author=Fitz-Morris, James | website=www.cbc.ca | date=2 December 2015}}</ref>

In his early years in parliament, Cuzner focused on matters surrounding both [[Veterans Affairs Canada|Veteran Affairs]] and [[Fisheries and Oceans Canada|Fisheries and Oceans]]. During the later part of his Parliamentary career, much of his attention was directed toward [[Employment and Social Development Canada|Workforce Development]] and National Labour issues.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Canada |first=Global Affairs |date=2019-03-28 |title=Rodger Cuzner, Consul General of Canada in Boston, United States |url=https://www.international.gc.ca/country-pays/us-eu/boston-rep.aspx?lang=eng |access-date=2023-05-18 |website=GAC}}</ref>

As an elected official representing [[Nova Scotia]] and [[Cape Breton Island]], he worked with community and industry to build and mature the tourism sector. Major investments in infrastructure contributed to this growth, notably two of the top-rated golf courses in the world, [[Cabot Links]] and Cabot Cliffs.<ref name=":0" />

Cuzner regularly represented the [[Liberal Party of Canada|Liberal Party]] on the weekly MP panel on [[CTV News Channel (Canada)|CTV News Channel's]] ''[[Power Play (Canadian political affairs series)|Power Play]]'', and was regularly asked to appear on other national political affairs programs, on television, and radio.

Cuzner traditionally delivered a humorous, politically themed rewrite of "[[Twas the Night Before Christmas]]" on the last house sitting before the holiday break.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2014/12/10/rodger-cuzner-christmas-poem-kevin-vickers_n_6304402.html | title=Rodger Cuzner's Christmas Poem Mocks Tories, Salutes Kevin Vickers | publisher=[[Huffington Post Canada]] | date=11 December 2015 | accessdate=30 August 2015 | author=Maloney, Ryan}}</ref> After his retirement, [[Darren Fisher]] delivered it.<ref>https://globalnews.ca/video/10171775/liberals-recite-2023-christmas-poem-in-house-of-commons-tradition</ref>

He was twice voted as "Most Collegial" [[Member of Parliament (Canada)|Member of Parliament]] by his Parliamentary colleagues, and was described by [[Maclean's]] in 2017 as "Parliament's Sense of Humour".<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.macleans.ca/news/canada/presenting-the-2013-parliamentarians-of-the-year/|title=2013 Parliamentarians of the Year - Macleans.ca|date=2013-11-18|work=Macleans.ca|access-date=2018-11-24|language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.macleans.ca/politics/ottawa/rodger-cuzner-parliaments-sense-of-humour/|title=Rodger Cuzner: Parliament's sense of humour - Macleans.ca|date=2017-11-07|work=Macleans.ca|access-date=2018-11-24|language=en-US}}</ref>

Cuzner was re-elected to a sixth straight term with 74.4% of the vote in the [[2015 Canadian federal election]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/nova-scotia-federal-election-1.3278654|title=Here are Nova Scotia's final riding-by-riding results {{!}} CBC News|work=CBC|access-date=2018-11-24|language=en-US}}</ref>

On April 26, 2019, Cuzner announced he wouldn't run for re-election in the [[2019 Canadian federal election|2019 election]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.capebretonpost.com/news/local/cape-breton-canso-mp-rodger-cuzner-calls-it-a-career-305821/|title=Cape Breton-Canso MP Rodger Cuzner calls it a career|work=Cape Breton Post|date=April 26, 2019|accessdate=2019-04-27}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/longtime-cape-breton-mp-rodger-cuzner-will-not-re-offer-1.5112047|title=Longtime Cape Breton Liberal MP Rodger Cuzner will not re-offer|publisher=CBC News|date=April 26, 2019|accessdate=2019-04-27}}</ref>

==Post-political life==
On October 31, 2020, it was reported that Prime Minister [[Justin Trudeau]] appointed Cuzner as the new Consul General to the United States (Boston).<ref>{{Cite web|title=Trudeau names former Liberal MP Rodger Cuzner as new consul general in Boston|url=https://globalnews.ca/news/7432563/trudeau-names-former-liberal-mp-rodger-cuzner-as-new-consul-general-in-boston/|access-date=2020-10-30|website=Global News|language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.canada.ca/en/global-affairs/news/2020/10/announcement-of-new-diplomatic-appointments0.html|title=Announcement of new diplomatic appointments|publisher=Global Affairs Canada|date=October 30, 2020|accessdate=2023-05-18}}</ref>

On October 31, 2023, he was summoned to the [[Senate of Canada]] by Governor General [[Mary Simon]], on the advice of Prime Minister [[Justin Trudeau]].<ref>{{cite web|title=The Prime Minister announces the appointment of five senators|url=https://www.pm.gc.ca/en/news/news-releases/2023/10/31/prime-minister-announces-appointment-senators|publisher=Prime Minister of Canada|date=October 31, 2023|accessdate=November 1, 2023}}</ref>

==Personal life==
Cuzner and his wife Lynn (née Hopkins) have three children: Mitch, Scott and Brad.

==Electoral record==
{{2015 Canadian federal election/Cape Breton—Canso}}
{{2011 Canadian federal election/Cape Breton—Canso}}
{{2008 Canadian federal election/Cape Breton—Canso}}
{{2006 Canadian federal election/Cape Breton—Canso}}
{{2004 Canadian federal election/Cape Breton—Canso}}
{{2000 Canadian federal election/Cape Breton—Canso}}

== References ==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*{{Canadian Parliament links|ID=4246}}
*[http://rodgercuzner.liberal.ca/en/default.aspx Official website]{{Dead link|date=November 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}

{{Senate of Canada}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cuzner, Rodger}}
[[Category:1955 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Members of the House of Commons of Canada from Nova Scotia]]
[[Category:Liberal Party of Canada MPs]]
[[Category:Canadian senators from Nova Scotia]]
[[Category:Independent Canadian senators]]
[[Category:Progressive Senate Group]]
[[Category:People from Glace Bay]]
[[Category:21st-century members of the House of Commons of Canada]]
[[Category:St. Francis Xavier University alumni]]
[[Category:21st-century members of the Senate of Canada]]