Dennis Gruending (born May 18, 1948) is a

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) 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 ...

journalist and politician. He is primarily a writer of

non-fiction Nonfiction, or non-fiction, is any document or media content that attempts, in good faith, to provide information (and sometimes opinions) grounded only in facts and real life, rather than in imagination. Nonfiction is often associated with b ...

, but also published a book of

poetry Poetry (derived from the Greek ''poiesis'', "making"), also called verse, is a form of literature that uses aesthetic and often rhythmic qualities of language − such as phonaesthetics, sound symbolism, and metre − to evoke meanings i ...

and various pieces of short fiction. He is a journalist who has worked for three newspapers and for the

Canadian Broadcasting Corporation The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (french: Société Radio-Canada), branded as CBC/Radio-Canada, is a Canadian public broadcaster for both radio and television. It is a federal Crown corporation that receives funding from the government. ...

as a radio host, radio producer, and television reporter. Gruending was born in

St. Benedict, Saskatchewan St. Benedict ( 2016 population: ) is a village in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan within the Rural Municipality of Three Lakes No. 400 and Census Division No. 15. Located in the Carlton Trail Region of the province, it is north of the City ...

, and attended

University of Saskatchewan A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, ...

where he received a Bachelor of Arts and

Carleton University Carleton University is an English-language public research university in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Founded in 1942 as Carleton College, the institution originally operated as a private, non-denominational evening college to serve returning Wo ...

where he received a Masters in Journalism.Fonds BF 22 - Dennis Gruending fonds
/ref>Dennis Gruending School of Journalism and Communication
/ref> Gruending was elected to

Parliament In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: representing the electorate, making laws, and overseeing the government via hearings and inquiries. Th ...

as a New Democratic Party candidate in a 1999

by-election A by-election, also known as a special election in the United States and the Philippines, a bye-election in Ireland, a bypoll in India, or a Zimni election (Urdu: ضمنی انتخاب, supplementary election) in Pakistan, is an election used to f ...

in the riding of

Saskatoon—Rosetown—Biggar Saskatoon—Rosetown—Biggar (formerly known as Saskatoon—Rosetown) was a federal electoral district in Saskatchewan, Canada, that was represented in the House of Commons of Canada from 1997 to 2015. Geography The district consisted of the s ...

, following the resignation of

Chris Axworthy Christopher S. Axworthy, (born March 10, 1947, Plymouth, United Kingdom)Roberts, David. Why Chris Axworthy feels at home. The Globe and Mail. October 30, 1999. p. A22 is a Canadian politician and academic. Law Professor After teaching law at t ...

. Greuending's 1999

by-election campaign came under intense scrutiny from Reform Party candidate Jim McAllister. On one occasion, McAllister, along with a handful of reporters drove to the Gruending home in

Saskatoon Saskatoon () is the largest city in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. It straddles a bend in the South Saskatchewan River in the central region of the province. It is located along the Trans-Canada Yellowhead Highway, and has served as th ...

's north end where McAllister referred to Gruending as a "parachute candidate". To add insult to injury, McAllister showed the media photos of the Gruending home in Ottawa, an oxygen mask because McAllister said that Eastern Canadian residents often complained about the air quality, and a detailed map of the Saskatoon—Rosetown—Biggar riding where McAllister claimed he was the only candidate who actually lived in the riding. Gruending, ended up with the last laugh, defeating both McAllister and

mayor

Henry Dayday Henry Dayday (born October 8, 1939) is a Canadian politician who served as the mayor of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan from 1988 to 2000. He was elected mayor four times, tied for the most since mayoral terms were extended beyond one year in 1954, althou ...

, who was running for the

Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. __TOC__ Active liberal parties This is a li ...

. Gruending's time as a Member of Parliament was short lived, as he was defeated a year later in the 2000 election, finishing second to

Canadian Alliance The Canadian Alliance (french: Alliance canadienne), formally the Canadian Reform Conservative Alliance (french: Alliance réformiste-conservatrice canadienne), was a centre-right to right-wing federal political party in Canada that existed ...

candidate

Carol Skelton Carol Skelton, (born December 12, 1945 in Biggar, Saskatchewan) is a Canadian politician. She is a member of the Security Intelligence Review Committee which oversees the operation of Canadian Security Intelligence Service. She formerly served ...

. In the 2004 election, Gruending ran again in Saskatoon—Rosetown—Biggar, but again was defeated by Skelton. Gruending has written eight books, including biographies of former Saskatchewan premier

Allan Blakeney Allan Emrys Blakeney (September 7, 1925April 16, 2011) was the tenth premier of Saskatchewan from 1971 to 1982, and leader of the Saskatchewan New Democratic Party (NDP). Early life and career Born in Bridgewater, Nova Scotia, Blakeney took his ...

, and another of Supreme Court of Canada Justice

Emmett Hall Emmett Matthew Hall (November 29, 1898 – November 12, 1995) was a Canadian lawyer, civil liberties advocate, Supreme Court of Canada judge and public policy advocate. He is considered one of the fathers of the Canadian system of Medicare, a ...

. Gruending's latest book, ''Great Canadian Speeches'' was published in 2004 and was a Canadian best seller.

References

Members of the House of Commons of Canada from Saskatchewan New Democratic Party MPs Journalists from Saskatchewan 1948 births Living people {{Saskatchewan-politician-stub