On November 27, 2000 Rodger Cuzner was elected to represent the people of Bras d’Or-Cape Breton as their Member of Parliament under the Jean Chretien Liberal government.
During his first two years in the House of Commons, Mr. Cuzner was a very active Member, serving on the Standing Committee for Canadian Heritage, Indian and Northern Affairs, Finance, Procedure and House Affairs, and the Standing Committee on Fisheries and Oceans.
Mr. Cuzner’s dedication and hard work was recognized in 2003 by Prime Minister Jean Chretien. On January 27, Rodger was sworn in as the Parliamentary Secretary to the former Prime Minister.
Rodger was re-elected in June 2004 to the 38th Parliament as the Member of Parliament for the newly expanded riding of Cape Breton-Canso. He was the unanimous selection of his colleagues to serve as chair of Atlantic Caucus. He also served as vice-chair of the House of Commons Standing Committee on Fisheries and Oceans and chair of the all party Sub-Committee on Employment Insurance Reform.
January 23rd, 2006 saw the re-election of Mr. Cuzner to the House of Commons as Member of Parliament of Cape Breton-Canso for the third time. He was appointed as Associate Opposition Critic for Sport and Opposition Critic for Veterans’ Affairs. Rodger has remained active on parliamentary committees such as Veterans’ Affairs and Fisheries and Oceans. He also served as Chair of Nova Scotia Caucus, and as a Member of the Standing Committee on Human Resources, Social Development, and the Status of Persons with Disabilities.
On October 14th, 2008, Rodger was re-elected for his fourth consecutive term, to the 40th Parliament. He was appointed Chief Whip of the Official Opposition and served in that role until September of 2010, when he was appointed Official Opposition Critic for Fisheries and Oceans and the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency. Rodger was re-elected for the fifth time on May 2, 2011 and currently serves as the Liberal Critic for Human Resources & Skills Development and Labour.
Rodger received his high school education at Glace Bay High and then went on to study physical education at St. Francis Xavier University in Antigonish.
Mr. Cuzner has worked as the Special Event Coordinator for the Cape Breton Department of Recreation, Culture and Facilities. He was responsible for major events like the Millennium Countdown 2000. Mr. Cuzner also worked as Athletic Coordinator for the City of Fort McMurray Alberta. In addition, he was a sports columnist with Fort McMurray Today and a commentator for CJOK Radio Station.
Throughout his life, he has demonstrated his commitment to hockey and to ensuring that Canadians are given the opportunity to succeed at our national sport. He coached Team Nova
Scotia at the Canada Games in 1995 and 1999. He is the founding member of the Cape Breton Sport Heritage Awards Committee.
Rodger, a native of Glace Bay, is the second of six children born to Truman and Kay Cuzner. He and his wife Lynn (nee Hopkins) have three children: Mitch, Scott and Brad.
