OTTAWA – Romeo LeBlanc, the first Acadian to be appointed governor general of Canada and a central figure in the Liberal party for more than two decades, has died after a lengthy illness. He was 81.

Born in the tiny farming community of Memramcook in southeastern New Brunswick, LeBlanc worked as a teacher and then as a journalist before moving to the political arena.

He became an important player in the federal Liberal party, serving as press secretary to former Liberal prime ministers Lester Pearson and Pierre Trudeau, before being elected as a New Brunswick MP in 1972.

As federal fisheries minister in the Trudeau cabinet, he was called the "fishermen's minister."

He was also instrumental in establishing Canada's 200-mile offshore economic zone and helped shape the International Law of the Sea.

LeBlanc became a Senator in 1984, was appointed Speaker of the Senate in 1993 and became governor general in 1995.

Throughout his political and vice-regal career, LeBlanc was known for his humility.

"He never forgot where he was from, so the trappings of governor general or cabinet minister were never him," Donald Savoie, a friend and University of Moncton economist, said Wednesday.

"The poor, the less fortunate, or the working poor – those were his clientele. He never lost sight of that, no matter where he was or what he did."

Camille Leger, who knew LeBlanc since he was a child, said LeBlanc never changed, even after reaching high office.

"It didn't matter who you are, he would talk to you and he wouldn't use words that are 15-feet long," Leger said. "He was always like that."

It was a view shared by Marc Lalonde, who served with LeBlanc in Liberal cabinets in the 1970s and 1980s.

"He has always remained a very simple, humble man, who was not impressed by the powerful and the wealthy," he once said.

When he sat for a picture to be used in the painting of his official portrait, LeBlanc complained about having to wear a suit coat. The problem was solved when the artist offered him his grey cardigan.

LeBlanc's time in politics also marked the start of a political dynasty in New Brunswick.

His son Dominic inherited his father's interest in politics and is the Liberal MP for the riding of Beausejour. When he was nominated for the seat in 1997, the Harvard-educated lawyer acknowledged what the area meant to his family as he was criticized for being a parachute candidate.

"My family roots run deep in this riding," said the younger LeBlanc, who scrapped plans to run for the federal Liberal leadership last year as he encourage the party to unite behind Michael Ignatieff over the parliamentary crisis.

His father wielded considerable influence in his home province as an MP – tagged as the Godfather of New Brunswick for his ability to control patronage and government projects.

New Brunswick's premier called him an ambassador for the province around the world.

"Mr. LeBlanc was a seminal figure in the Acadian renaissance and a senior voice for New Brunswickers of all backgrounds throughout Canada and the world," Shawn Graham said in a statement Wednesday.

LeBlanc's political past made his appointment to Rideau Hall controversial as it was criticized by some as a political pay off.

In protest, Preston Manning, then the leader of the Reform Party of Canada, refused to attend LeBlanc's installation ceremony, as did Bloc Quebecois Leader Lucien Bouchard.

But Prime Minister Jean Chrétien defended LeBlanc, describing his rise as an example of what francophones can achieve in Canada.

Chrétien said the appointment shows how francophones across the country have contributed to nation-building, while preserving their culture.

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"It reminds us ... that our country's unity was built in diversity and that this diversity is also our strength," said Chrétien.

"In fact, it is a fundamental characteristic of our nation."

During a visit to his boyhood hometown shortly after he became governor general, local resident Bertille Demers spoke of what LeBlanc's appointment meant to francophones in New Brunswick.

"His appointment is a sign of pride for all Acadians," she said.

When he arrived in New Brunswick after leaving Rideau Hall in 1999, he was met at the Moncton train station by some 200 people, including dozens of school children waving Canadian and Acadian flags.

"He's from down home, he's a good man and he's one of us – an Acadian," said Bernard Gaudet of Saint-Joseph, N.B.

LeBlanc used his background to show how francophones outside Quebec can thrive in Canada and how French and English can co-operate.

"If there is one group of Canadians whose past could have poisoned their future it is the Acadians," he once said of his ancestral history.

Over 10,000 Acadians were forced from their land in the Maritimes by the British in what's known as the Great Expulsion of 1755 for refusing to swear oaths of allegiance. They were dispersed to Europe and parts of what's now known as the United States.

LeBlanc was born in 1927 in the Memramcook Valley and spent his childhood there.

After graduating from university, he spent two years as a high school teacher and then taught at a teachers' college in Fredericton.

In 1960, he joined CBC's French-language radio service in Ottawa and did stints in New York, Washington, Algeria and Cyprus.

Ill health forced LeBlanc to leave Rideau Hall early in 1999 before his five-year tenure was up.

As governor general, LeBlanc proclaimed National Aboriginal Day on June 21. "We owe aboriginals a debt that is four centuries old," he once said.

He was also credited with opening Rideau Hall to the public, holding a garden party in 1997 that drew 10,000 people to its gardens.

LeBlanc is survived by his wife, Diana Fowler LeBlanc, and four children.

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