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Steven John Fletcher, (born June 17, 1972) is a Canadian politician. He served in the Canadian House of Commons from 2004 to 2015, representing the riding of Charleswood—St. James—Assiniboia as a member of the Conservative Party. He was the first quadriplegic to serve in the House of Commons, as well as in Cabinet. Fletcher was appointed as Minister of State (Democratic Reform) on October 30, 2008. After the Conservative Party victory on May 2, 2011, Fletcher was appointed as Minister of State (Transport). In an effort to increase the number of women in cabinet,〔Winnipeg Free Press July 16, 2013 Dan Lett CBC online article by Rosemary Bartom July 18, 2013〕 Fletcher was left out of cabinet in the July 15, 2013 Cabinet shuffle by Prime Minister Stephen Harper. Fletcher stated on Twitter "I am Conservative. I am a traditionalist. I wish I had left Cabinet in the traditional way--- with a sex scandal." Although not officially in Cabinet, he continued to sit on the treasury board cabinet committee.〔PMO website under Ministries and Cabinet committees〕 He was defeated in the 2015 election. ==Early life and career== Fletcher was born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, where his Canadian father was working as an engineer. He was raised in Manitoba, and attended Shaftesbury High School in Winnipeg. Fletcher received a degree in Geological Engineering from the University of Manitoba in 1995.〔What Do You Do If You Don't Die? The Steven Fletcher Story, By Linda MacIntosh Heartland Publishing Winnipeg 2008〕 He became a complete quadriplegic on January 11, 1996, after hitting a moose with his vehicle while travelling to a geological engineering job in northern Manitoba.〔Bill Redekop, "Moose collision shocks naturalists", ''Winnipeg Free Press'', 25 January 1996, A1.〕 The accident left him completely paralysed below the neck, and he now requires 24-hour-a-day attendant care. He was unable to speak for several months, and only regained this ability after a long process of recovery.〔What Do You Do If You Don't Die? The Steven Fletcher Story, By Linda MacIntosh Heartland Publishing Winnipeg 2008〕 In the immediate aftermath of his accident, Fletcher was told that he would have to spend the rest of his life in an institution. Years later, he joked: "I don't think the doctors ever thought the institution would be Parliament."〔(Joan Bryden, "Hell on Wheels", ''Macleans Magazine'', 13 July 2005. )〕 When asked about his disability during his first campaign for public office, he quipped: "I would rather be paralyzed from the neck down than from the neck up."〔Ruypers, Ryall, , “Canadian Civics”, “Emond Montgomery Publications”, 2006, Page 107.〕 Before his accident, Fletcher was a wilderness canoe enthusiast. He served as president of the Manitoba Recreational Canoeing Association, was a two-time former Manitoba Kayak Champion, and competed in national events.〔Bill Redekop, "Chinese power play", ''Winnipeg Free Press'', 9 February 1997, B4.〕 He was able to resume his life as an outdoorsman in the mid-2000s through inventions such as the TrailRider, a device which allows quadriplegics to travel over rough terrain.〔Liz Katynski, "Lightweight, portable device leads to Happy trails", ''Winnipeg Free Press'', 18 June 2003, p. 1.〕 In late 2004, he was able to stand again with the assistance of an hydraulic wheelchair.〔Paul Samyn, "High emotion for city MP", ''Winnipeg Free Press'', 9 December 2004, A1.〕 He recently competed in water races, and has won awards using "sip and puff" steering technology.〔(Steven Fletcher: About ), accessed 12 November 2006.〕 In 2006, he visited the Burgess Shale in the Rocky Mountains with the help of a TrailRider and other hikers.〔Jeff Lee, "Mayor, MP to make Yoho trek", ''Vancouver Sun'', 2 August 2006, B6.〕 Fletcher has said that the accident changed his political views. He acknowledges that he "didn't give the less-fortunate any consideration" before 1996, but now describes himself as a "compassionate conservative".〔Paul Egan, "Breaking barriers", ''Winnipeg Free Press'', 4 July 2004, A1.〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Steven Fletcher (politician)」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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