Steven Fletcher - Early Life and Career

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.

He became a complete quadriplegic in 1996, after hitting a moose with his vehicle while travelling to a geological engineering job in northern Manitoba. 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.

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." 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."

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. He was able to resume his life as an outdoorsman in the mid-2000s through inventions such as the TrailRider, which allows quadriplegics to travel over rough terrain. In late 2004, he was able to stand again with the assistance of an hydraulic wheelchair. He recently competed in water races, and has won awards using "sip and puff" steering technology. In 2006, he visited the Burgess Shale in the Rocky Mountains with the help of a TrailRider and other hikers.

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".