Gary Robichaud (September 13, 1962 – September 8, 2005) was a

Canadian Canadians () are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their being ''C ...

teacher and politician, and leader of the Island New Democrats political party in the province of

Prince Edward Island Prince Edward Island is an island Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. While it is the smallest province by land area and population, it is the most densely populated. The island has several nicknames: "Garden of the Gulf", ...

. Robichaud was born in Saint John,

New Brunswick New Brunswick is a Provinces and Territories of Canada, province of Canada, bordering Quebec to the north, Nova Scotia to the east, the Gulf of Saint Lawrence to the northeast, the Bay of Fundy to the southeast, and the U.S. state of Maine to ...

. He spent his childhood on Prince Edward Island, attending Evangeline Regional High School and then the

University of Prince Edward Island The University of Prince Edward Island (UPEI) is a public university in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Canada, and the only university in the province. Founded in 1969, the enabling legislation is the ''University Act, R.S.P.E.I 2000.'' H ...

. Robichaud began teaching in rural

Manitoba Manitoba is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada at the Centre of Canada, longitudinal centre of the country. It is Canada's Population of Canada by province and territory, fifth-most populous province, with a population ...

, where he met his wife, Jacqueline. His daughter, Julia was born in 2001. In 1995, he moved back to Prince Edward Island to become a high-school teacher in Summerside. For many years, he taught at Three Oaks Senior High School, during which time he helmed Canada's only intramural

Reach for the Top ''Reach for the Top'' (also known simply as ''Reach'') is a Canadian trivia based academic quiz competition for high school students. In the past, it has also been a game show nationally broadcast on the CBC. Matches are currently aired online ...

league. Joining the Island New Democrats, Robichaud ran unsuccessfully in the 2000 provincial election. In 2002, he ran for the leadership of the party, and won with 62 votes over Ken Bingham with 18 and Deborah Kelly-Hawkes with 4. He was diagnosed with inoperable

lung cancer Lung cancer, also known as lung carcinoma, is a malignant tumor that begins in the lung. Lung cancer is caused by genetic damage to the DNA of cells in the airways, often caused by cigarette smoking or inhaling damaging chemicals. Damaged ...

in late 2003. On June 23, 2005, he announced his resignation as New Democratic leader due to his poor health. He died on September 8, 2005, in Ross Corner. He was replaced as New Democratic Party leader in 2006 by

Dean Constable Dean Constable (born January 11, 1980, in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Canada) was the leader of the New Democratic Party of Prince Edward Island (NDP) from 2006 to 2007. He replaced Gary Robichaud as leader. Constable used to be the theat ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Robichaud, Gary 1962 births 2005 deaths Leaders of the Prince Edward Island CCF/NDP Politicians from Saint John, New Brunswick Deaths from lung cancer in Canada People from Summerside, Prince Edward Island Deaths from cancer in Prince Edward Island University of Prince Edward Island alumni