Rod Laporte

{{Short description|Canadian politician (born 1953)}}

{{Use Canadian English|date=September 2021}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2021}}

Rodney Edward Laporte (born 24 October 1953 in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan) is a Saskatchewan lawyer and a former Canadian Member of Parliament (MP). Before becoming a politician, Laporte had been a student of history and Law at the University of Regina.{{Cite web|url=https://www.uregina.ca/arts/history/assets/docs/pdf/Honours-Essay-by-Year1.pdf| publisher=University of Regina Department of History|title=COMPLETED HONOURS ESSAYS - 1979: Rod Laporte|year=2021}}

Laporte became the New Democratic Party (NDP) MP for Moose Jaw—Lake Centre in the 1988 federal election, winning a riding that had been a Progressive Conservative (PC) stronghold for thirty years.{{Cite web|url=http://www.cbc.ca/canadavotes/riding/232/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060410153453/http://www.cbc.ca/canadavotes/riding/232/ |archive-date=10 April 2006|title=Canada Votes 2006 » Saskatchewan » 232 Palliser|quote=Moose Jaw-Lake Centre was solidly Tory from 1958 to 1988, then narrowly went to New Democrat Rod Laporte in the 1988 election}} It was a very narrow win, garnering only 408 votes more than PC Candidate Bill Gottselig.{{cite web| url=http://www2.parl.gc.ca/Sites/LOP/HFER/hfer.asp?Language=E&Search=Cresdetail&Election=9676| title=History of Federal Ridings since 1867, Candidates, 34th Parliament, Saskatchewan, MOOSE JAW--LAKE CENTRE (1988/11/21) | publisher=Parliament of Canada| accessdate=28 June 2012}} In the 1993 election, he lost the seat to Reform Party candidate Allan Kerpan. His loss was even narrower that his initial win: only 310 votes separated him from the winner.{{cite web| url=http://www2.parl.gc.ca/Sites/LOP/HFER/hfer.asp?Language=E&Search=Cresdetail&Election=8691| title=History of Federal Ridings since 1867, Candidates, 35th Parliament, Saskatchewan, MOOSE JAW--LAKE CENTRE (1993/10/25) | publisher=Parliament of Canada| accessdate=28 June 2012}}

During the 2002–2003 NDP leadership race, Laporte endorsed Bill Blaikie. After leaving politics, Laporte practised law for the Saskatchewan Legal Aid Commission in Meadow Lake, Saskatchewan.{{cite web| url=http://pview.findlaw.com/view/1480000_1| title=Laporte, Rod| work=FindLaw| accessdate=28 June 2012}}