Jeanne Mathilde Sauvé

Historical Trailblazers

Jeanne Sauvé was a journalist, politician, and stateswoman whose extraordinary career has been revered by firsts – first female Cabinet member from Quebec, first woman elected as Speaker of the House of Commons, and first woman to serve as Governor General.

Ms. Sauvé’s interest in politics began as a young adult. While working for the government of Canada as a translator to pay for tuition, she studied at the University of Ottawa where she became actively engaged in student and political affairs. In 1942, she became National President of the Young Catholic Students Group.

In 1950, she moved to Paris, where Ms. Sauvé was employed as the assistant to the director of the Youth Secretariat at UNESCO and, in 1951, she enrolled for one year at the Sorbonne, graduating with a degree in French civilization.

She returned to Canada in 1952 and, in 1959, she became a founding member of the Institute of Political Research. At the same time, she was hired as a journalist and broadcaster with the CBC’s Radio-Canada. Following the success of her first radio program, she moved to CBC television where she covered political topics on both radio and television. Her broadcasting career however flourished when she was given her own television show, Opinions, where she hosted topics considered to be taboo during this time including, teenage sex, parental authority and student discipline. The show ran from 1956 to 1963.

In 1972, Jeanne Sauvé ran as a federal candidate in the Montreal riding of Ahuntsic. She won the seat and became one of only five women MPs at that time. Subsequently, she was sworn into the Queen’s Privy Council and appointed Minister of State for Science and Technology in the Liberal Cabinet. She became the first female from Quebec to become minister of the Crown and the only woman in the Cabinet. Following her re-election two years later, she was assigned the Environment Portfolio until 1975 when she was appointed Minister of Communications.

In the 1979 election, Ms. Sauvé won the riding of Laval-des-Rapides within a minority government and, following the federal election of 1980 that resulted in a Liberal majority, she was appointed as Speaker of the House of Commons. In this capacity, she was prudent in the management of staff and expenses of the House of Commons resulting in a significant reduction in excess bureaucracy, personnel, and expenses. She was praised for saving $18 million in annual costs and improving overall services. At the same time, she established the first daycare for Parliament Hill staff, MPs, and senators.

As Speaker, she presided over debates on the constitution, dealing with filibusters and numerous points of order, along with discussions over the proposed Energy Security Act.

From 1984 to 1990, Jeanne Sauvé served as Canada’s twenty-third Governor General where she promoted national unity, peace, and youth. She became the first female governor general in Canada’s history, and the only second woman among all of the Commonwealth realms to assume the equivalent office in history.

In her capacity as vicereine, she accepted the Nansen Medal on behalf of the People of Canada and, two years later, she opened the XV Olympic Winter Games in Calgary, Alberta. She also hosted, at Rideau Hall, the annual Christmas party for the Ottawa Boys & Girls Club and the Patro d’Ottawa inviting the children to visit with Santa Claus and attend a lunch in the Tent Room.

In 1988, she was presented with royal Letters Patent that permitted the federal viceroy to exercise the Queen’s powers with respect to the granting of heraldic arms in Canada. This led to the eventual creation of the Canadian Heraldic Authority where Ms. Sauvé became its first head.

Her achievements have been crowned with a legacy of helping youth. In commemoration of her visit to Brazil, she established the Governor General Jeanne Sauvé Fellowship (awarded each year to a Brazilian graduate student in Canadian studies); the Sauvé Foundation (that develops leadership potential of youth from across the globe); and the Sauvé Scholars Program (where young people are invited to attend classes at McGill University to work on individual projects and expand their understanding of the world). With regards to sporting, she formed the Jeanne Sauvé Trophy (for the world cup championship in women’s field hockey) and the Jeanne Sauvé Fair Play Award (in recognition of national amateur athletes who best exhibit fair play and non-violence in sport).

Jeanne Sauvé’s extensive career and public service has resulted in a number of appointments, awards and recognitions. She was appointed Chief Scout of Canada (1984-90) and Honorary Member of the Royal Military College of Canada Club (1984-93). She also was recipient of a number of medals including the Canadian Centennial Medal (1967), Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee Medal (1977), Canadian Forces Decoration (1984), Commemorative Medal for the 125th Anniversary of the Confederation of Canada (1992) and Médaille de la Chancellerie des universités de Paris (1989). She has been bestowed with Honorary degrees from Queen’s University, Doctor of Laws (LLD) (1986); Chulalongkorn University, Doctor of Political Science (DPSci) (1987); and University of Regina, Doctor of Laws (LLD) 1991.

Other commemorations include buildings and schools that have been named in her honour such as  Fort Sauvé (Kingston),  École Jeanne-Sauvé (Orléans), École publique Jeanne-Sauvé (Sudbury), Jeanne Sauvé Catholic School (Stratford), Collège Jeanne-Sauvé (Winnipeg) and, Jeanne Sauvé French Immersion Public School (London, St. Catharines, and Oshawa). Further, she is the namesake for organizations such as Jeanne Sauvé Family Service in Ontario, and Jeanne Sauvé Foundation and Jeanne Sauvé House in Quebec.

One year following her death, a postage stamp bearing her image was issued by Canada Post.

Sources 

En.wikipedia.org. 2021. Jeanne Sauvé. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeanne_Sauv%C3%A9> [Accessed 29 January 2021].

The Governor General of Canada. 2021. Jeanne Sauvé. [online] Available at: <https://www.gg.ca/en/governor-general/former-governors-general/jeanne-sauve> [Accessed 29 January 2021].

Jean E. Pigott

Historical Trailblazers

Jean E. Pigott, a proud Ottawan and Canadian, was an extraordinary businesswoman who played a leadership role in the development of Canada’s capital.

Ms. Pigott was a family descendent of five generations who called Ottawa their home. As a pioneer female leader in both business and politics, she was one of a handful of female Chief Executive Officers within Canada in the early 1970’s and was a Progressive Conservative Member of Parliament from 1976 to 1979. Following the loss of her seat in the 1979 federal election, she was hired as an Advisor by Prime Minister Joe Clark.

Five years later, she was appointed Chair of the National Capital Commission (NCC) by the Prime Minister at the time, The Right Honourable Brian Mulroney. As part of her initial tenure, from 1984 to 1992, Ms. Pigott ensured appropriate stewardship of the government’s official residences and created Confederation Boulevard – the ceremonial route that links important landmarks such as Parliament Hill, the Supreme Court and national museums in the Ottawa Gatineau region. Her leadership of the Commission paved the way for future female leaders who followed as Chairs of the NCC.

In addition to her success as a Parliamentarian and public sector leader, she made an impact in other sectors. She served on the Board of Directors of Ontario Hydro and Canadian Tire Corporation and was Chair of the Board of both the Ottawa Congress Centre as well as the Centre for Studies of Children at risk in Hamilton, Ontario.

In recognition of her inspirational leadership, her determination for ensuring resources for positive growth and change at all levels of government and, for her efforts in promoting the National Capital Region as a meeting place for all Canadians, Ms. Pigott was made an Officer of the Order of Canada in 1995. She has also been recognized for her tireless dedication to the Community with a historical marker that has been placed on NCC grounds and located near Murray Street and Mackenzie Avenue. Further, in acknowledgement of her outstanding commitment, the Shaw Centre (formally Ottawa’s Convention Centre) has dedicated a boardroom in her honour.

Ottawa has been left with many legacies due to Jean Pigott’s drive and determination to make our Capital the second home town for all Canadians.

Biography written by Shari Hill

Sources

CBC. 2021. Former MP, NCC chair Jean Pigott dies | CBC News. [online] Available at: <https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/former-mp-ncc-chair-jean-pigott-dies-1.1184702> [Accessed 27 January 2021].

En.wikipedia.org. 2021. Jean Pigott. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean_Pigott#:~:text=Pigott%20was%20president%20and%20CEO,Canada%20as%20a%20Progressive%20Conservative.> [Accessed 27 January 2021].

Hmdb.org. 2021. Jean E. Pigott Historical Marker. [online] Available at: <https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=150894> [Accessed 27 January 2021].

NCC-CCN. 2021. Jean Pigott and Women Leaders at the NCC. [online] Available at: <https://ncc-ccn.gc.ca/blog/jean-pigott-and-women-leaders-at-the-ncc> [Accessed 27 January 2021].

Flora MacDonald

Historical Trailblazers

Flora MacDonald was a Canadian politician and trailblazer who helped break down barriers for women seeking high office in Canada.

As a young adult working as a bank teller, Ms. MacDonald saved enough money to travel to Europe in 1950. While abroad, she travelled across England and Scotland and hitchhiked through other European countries, bearing witness to the effects of the last war. In England, she met with and assisted nationalists who on December 25, 1950 stole the Ancient Stone of Destiny from Westminster Abbey and returned it to Scotland.

Shortly thereafter, she returned to Canada and began working in politics. Her career started in the national office under Progressive Conservative Party leader John Diefenbaker where she worked as the party chairman’s secretary assisting with Mr. Diefenbaker’s 1957 and 1958 election campaigns. In 1958, she became secretary in the office of Prime Minister John Diefenbaker.

In 1972, Flora MacDonald was elected the Progressive Conservative Member of Parliament for the Ontario riding of Kingston and the Islands, a position that she held until 1988. During this period, she was made Canada’s first female Secretary of State for External Affairs by Prime Minister Joe Clark in 1979.

During her tenure, Ms. MacDonald was faced with various humanitarian crises. She contended with the post-war Vietnamese Boat People refugee crisis by co-developing a plan that allowed more than 60,000 Vietnamese refugees to enter Canada. By having the federal government match the number of sponsored refugees in proportion to sponsorships from the general public, the number of refugees assisted was doubled. She also encountered the Iran hostage crisis, later to be known as the “Canadian Caper” that inspired the award-winning film Argo. Six American diplomats that had been seized by radical Iranian students in the American embassy sought refuge in the Canadian embassy in Tehran. With utmost secrecy, Flora MacDonald permitted the hostages to pose as Canadians and provided them with false passports and money thus enabling them to escape as members of the departing Canadian staff on January 28, 1980.

That same year, the PC party lost the federal election and Ms. MacDonald worked as a Critic for External Affairs, her old cabinet portfolio.  She, however, returned to government four years later following the Progressive Conservative victory in the 1984 election. She first worked as Minister of Employment and Immigration and in 1986 as Minister of Communications. She held this position until 1988 when she quit politics in order to dedicate her efforts to international humanitarian work, collaborating with charities such as Oxfam, CARE, the Carnegie Commission on Preventing Deadly Conflict, International Centre for Human Rights, and Doctors Without Borders.

During this period, she held the position of Chair for the Board of Canada’s International Development Research Centre (until 1997) and served as President of the World Federalist Movement Canada. She continued her humanitarian efforts and, in 2007, founded Future Generations Canada, an aid group dedicated to improving Afghan education, healthcare, and agricultural projects. As a director of this group, she focused on the education of women in places like Afghanistan and helped create sustainable systematic changes to ensure steady development.

While undertaking her various humanitarian causes, Ms. MacDonald allocated time in hosting a television program, writing a book, and chairing an international development research center. In recognition of her work, she was sworn in as a member of the Queen’s Privy Council for Canada on June 4, 1979, and thus earned the honorific titles of the post-nominal letters “PC” and the prefix “The Honorable”. There is also a 400-boat harbour in front of Kingston’s City Hall named the “Flora MacDonald Confederation Basin” in tribute to her, and a National Film Board film by Peter Raymond was made about her 1976 leadership bid, titled Flora.

Because of her many efforts, Flora MacDonald was named as a member of the Eminent Persons Group by the United Nations Secretary-General. Other formal achievements included being appointed Officer of the Order of Canada in 1992 and promoted to Companion of the Order of Canada in 1998. She was also made a member of the Order of Ontario in 1995 and of the Order of Nova Scotia in 2007. Her recognitions include as recipient of the Pearson Medal of Peace (2000), the Padma Shri (a civilian award from the Government of India) in 2004, the St. Andrew’s Society of Toronto Scot of the Year Award in 2009, the Canada World Peace Award from the World Federalist Movement-Canada in 2010, the Canadian Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal in 2002 followed by the Diamond Jubilee in 2012, and a Lifetime Achievement Award by Maclean’s magazine in 2014. Further, she was named Advisory Council member of the Dancer Transition Resource Center and an Ottawa footbridge over the Rideau Canal built on July 11, 2018, was named the “Flora Footbridge” in her honour.

Whether as a politician or humanitarian, Flora MacDonald inspired others to become involved in politics and in their communities.

Biography written by Hayley Apted

Sources

En.wikipedia.org. 2021. Flora MacDonald (politician). [online] Available at: &lt;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flora_MacDonald_(politician)&gt; [Accessed 27 January 2021].

CBC. 2021. Longtime politician Flora MacDonald dies at 89 | CBC News. [online] Available at: &lt;https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/flora-macdonald-longtime-politician-dead-at-89- 1.3168239&gt; [Accessed 27 January 2021].

The Globe and Mail. 2021. Conservative Trailblazer Flora Macdonald Dies Aged 89. [online] Available at: &lt;https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/conservative-trailblazer-flora-macdonald-dies-aged-89/article25714535/&gt; [Accessed 26 January 2021].

Pauline Jewett

Historical Trailblazers

Pauline Jewett, an academic, politician and social activist, was the first woman to be president of a major Canadian university. Her passion for social justice and disdain for discrimination fueled her advocacy for social equity, women, and aboriginal persons.

Ms. Jewett was born and raised in St. Catharine’s, Ontario where she attained her primary and secondary education. She later received a BA in politics and philosophy, followed by an MA from Queen’s University and, in 1949, a Ph.D. in political science from Harvard University’s Radcliffe School. In addition, she furthered her education at Oxford University and at the London School of Economics.

In recognizing the importance of post-secondary education, she began working as a lecturer at Wellesley College, Queen’s University, and later at Carleton University, where she eventually became Chair of the Department of Political Science (1960 to 1961) followed by Director of the Institute of Canadian Studies (1967 to 1972).

From 1963 to 1965, Pauline Jewitt was a Liberal MP in the riding of Northumberland (Brighton, Ontario) and in 1966 was elected as Vice-President of the national Liberal Party following her defeat in the 1965 federal election. In response to a decision by Prime Minister Pierre Elliot Trudeau to invoke the War Measures Act during the October Crisis, she left the Liberal Party and joined the New Democratic Party. She ran as the NDP candidate in the 1972 federal election in the riding of Ottawa West, but was unsuccessful.

In 1974, she moved to British Columbia to assume the position of President at Simon Fraser University, making her the first woman to be president of a Canadian co-educational university.

After five years, she returned to a career in politics and was elected MP in the riding of New Westminster-Coquitlam as its NDP candidate. She was further elected in the 1980 and 1984 federal elections. In Parliament, she became NDP critic on education and external affairs, the constitution, federal-provincial relations, arms control, and disarmament.

In 1988, Ms. Jewett decided to retire from politics and instead opted to return to Carleton University to become its Chancellor, a position that she held until her death in 1992 – the same year that she was appointed to the Privy Council by Prime Minister Brian Mulroney.

Pauline Jewett’s successes helped pave a path that increased accessibility for women to enter academia and politics. She served as a consultant to the Royal Commission on the Status of Women and was a founding member of the NDP’s Participation of Women group. She also helped author various texts on Canadian issues; was a contributing author of Canadian Economic Policy (published in 1961); was author of the study for the Canadian Nurses’ Association in a formal review of its structure; and, wrote various articles on political and governmental issues.

Recognized for her contributions, Ms. Jewett was made an Officer of the Order of Canada in 1991. She was also as a recipient of a Medal in Politics and of an Arts Resident Research Fellowship, both at Queen’s University. Further, she received the Henry Clay Jackson Fellowship from Harvard’s Radcliffe College, and the Marty Memorial Scholarship. In 1992, Carleton University renamed its Women’s Studies Institute the “Pauline Jewett Institute of Women’s Studies”.

Ms. Jewett overcame a number of social and gender barriers and became an important role model to a generation of younger women.

Written by Hayley Apted

Sources

Caton, M., 2021. Pauline Jewett. [online] WorkersHistoryMuseum. Available at: <https://workershistorymuseum.ca/pauline-jewett/> [Accessed 15 February 2021].

En.wikipedia.org. 2021. Pauline Jewett. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pauline_Jewett> [Accessed 15 February 2021].

Google Books. 2021. Pauline Jewett. [online] Available at: <https://books.google.ca/books/about/Pauline_Jewett.html?id=O2PXekQolK0C&redir_esc=y> [Accessed 15 February 2021].

Gorham, H., 2008. Pauline Jewett | The Canadian Encyclopedia. [online] Thecanadianencyclopedia.ca. Available at: <https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/pauline-jewett> [Accessed 15 February 2021].

Naomi Jackson Groves

Historical Trailblazers

A leading art historian, patron, artist, teacher and writer, Naomi Jackson Groves’ passion for linguistics and art have benefited all Canadians, as have her generous gifts of art and documents to various institutions.

Naomi Groves was born in Montreal in 1910 and studied at the Art Association of Montreal during high school. The niece of renowned Canadian artist A. Y. Jackson, she was raised amidst the artistry of the Group of Seven. Ms. Groves was influenced by her uncle’s artistic style and perception of the Canadian identity as centered around its environment.

Influenced by her bilingual English and French upbringing, Ms. Groves’ linguistic skills developed early. She learned Danish from a neighbour and became fluent in the language after spending a year in Copenhagen at age 18. Upon returning to Canada, she studied German at McGill University. Her linguistic excellence and academic achievements were recognized in 1933, when she was awarded a Governor General’s gold medal for modern languages. The same year, she completed her bachelor’s degree and went on to earn her master’s in 1935.

In 1936, Naomi Groves received an artistic scholarship from the Canadian Federation of University Women and she traveled throughout France and Germany with A. Y. Jackson, painting along the way. The diaries they kept during this time inspired her book, Two Jacksons Abroad, which contains correspondence and reproductions of their artwork. Her other publications include: A.Y.’s Canada; Ernst Barlach: Life in Work, Sculpture, Drawings and Graphics, Dramas, Prose Works and Letters in Translation; One Summer in Québec: A.Y. Jackson in 1925, A Family View; and Works by A.Y. Jackson from the 1930s.

Ms. Groves was an expert on both A. Y. Jackson and Ernst Barlach, a German sculptor and playwright whom she discovered while in Europe. She translated many of Barlach’s works and focused her doctoral dissertation on him, titled Ernst Barlach: The Development of a Versatile Genius. She began her dissertation at Radcliffe College in 1937 and completed it in 1950 at Harvard University.

During the war, Naomi Groves taught German at Wheaton College from 1940 to 1942 and subsequently moved to Ottawa, becoming assistant to the director of the National Gallery of Canada until 1943. At the same time, she taught German at Carleton University.

After the Second World War, Dr. Groves traveled to Finnish Lapland as a member of the Quaker’s Friends Service Committee. From 1945-1947, she assisted a post-war relief effort provide food and education programs as an extension of Finnish-Canadian wartime cooperation. The operation helped the local population survive their first winter, providing clothing and food to more than 23,000 children. Dr. Groves documented this experience in her 1989 book Winter into Summer: Lapland Diary, 1945-1946.

After completing her PhD, Dr. Groves began working at McMaster University, where she re-established and led its Department of Fine Arts until 1958. Influenced by her interest in Barlach, the McMaster Museum of Art acquired many German expressionist pieces and currently houses some of Naomi Groves’ paintings. Many of her other paintings are held in national and international collections including those of The National Gallery of Canada, and the Robert McLaughlin Art Gallery. She also exhibited her work with the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts in 1934 and with the Art Association of Montreal from 1934 to 1943.

In recognition of her lifelong contributions, Dr. Groves was awarded the Order of Canada in 1993. She also received honorary doctorates in literature from McMaster University in 1972 and from Carleton University in 1990.

Naomi Groves led a life of service, academic success and artistic endeavours. Her passion and talent for art, linguistics and teaching have left a significant legacy to Canadians.

Biography written by Robin Kennedy

Sources

En.wikipedia.org. 2021. Naomi Jackson Groves. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naomi_Jackson_Groves> [Accessed 16 February 2021].

Fineartandantiques.ca. 2021. Naomi Groves Jackson | St. Sauveur int Hill 70 | Fine Art and Antiques. [online] Available at <http://www.fineartandantiques.ca/Gallery%20Pages/PaintingsPages/galleryjacksonNaomi.html> [Accessed 16 February 2021].

Lindström, V., 2021. Winter into Summer: Lapland Diary 1945–1946 by Naomi Jackson Groves (review). [online] Muse.jhu.edu. Available at: <https://muse.jhu.edu/article/574157/pdf> [Accessed 16 February 2021].

Lotta Hitschmanova

Historical Trailblazers

Lotta Hitschmanova was a Canadian humanitarian who helped found the Unitarian Service Committee of Canada (USC), now called SeedChange. Each year, she travelled to war-torn and impoverished towns and villages worldwide, offering Canadian support to recover from war, disease, drought, and poverty.

Ms. Hitschmanova was born in Prague, Bohemia (now Czech Republic), and attended Stephans Gymnasium, a coeducational high school, where she graduated with honours. In 1929, she enrolled in the school of Philosophy at the University of Prague where she excelled at languages earning diplomas in Czech, German, English, French, and Spanish. In 1932, she went to Paris and studied political science and journalism at the Sorbonne Institute.  There, she obtained diplomas in journalism and French studies. In 1935, Ms. Hitschmanova returned to Prague to work as a freelance journalist and at the same time completed her PhD at Prague University.

When Germany seized a third of Czechoslovakia following the Munich Agreement of September 30, 1938, Lotta Hitschmanova fled the country to Belgium. She worked there as a journalist; however, following the country’s invasion by German troops, she escaped to Marseilles, France, and became employed at an immigration services agency that assisted refugees.

Ms. Hitschmanova escaped from Europe and sailed to New York in 1942. After delivering a USC report in Boston, she departed for Canada which had granted her a visa as a political refugee, unlike the United States. Within days, she found secretarial employment at a Montreal firm. Two months later, she moved to Ottawa to accept a position as a postal censor for the Department of War Services. During this time, she joined the Czechoslovakian National Alliance and helped raise money for Czech War Services in London, England. She also worked briefly for the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration.

In June 1945, Lotta Hitschmanova helped organize the Canadian branch of the USC, an international development organization consisting of a small group of aid workers sending supplies to war-torn Europe for relief and reconstruction. As USC’s Executive Director, Ms. Hitschmanova was the driving force behind the organization. On August 29, 1945, USC Canada became registered under the War Charities Act. Initially, it was only allowed to raise money from Unitarians but in February 1946 the appeal was extended to all Canadians.

In the spring of 1946, Ms. Hitschmanova set off on a three-month tour of western Canada to appeal for funds and clothing and in the summer of the same year, she travelled to Europe to assess the conditions. Based on her observations, Ms. Hitschmanova recommended that the organization focus on physically disabled children. Canadians sent food, money, and prosthetic limbs for injured children. Under her direction, USC Canada started a foster parent program where Canadians could sponsor a child for which they would receive a photo and a story. Ms. Hitschmanova was named as USC Canada’s first Chairperson and served in this capacity until 1949.

In 1949, Lotta Hitschmanova advised the USC to focus its effort in Italy and Greece and this continued until 1979. In 1950, USC expanded its programs to other parts of the world. From the early 1950s to the late 1970s, Korea was a major recipient of relief funds. USC Canada also set up programs in 20 other countries including India, Nepal, Vietnam, Lesotho, and Indonesia. During this period, Lotta Hitschmanova would fundraise in Canada for three months of the year and then spend four months overseas to supervise USC Canada programs.

In 2019, the USC updated its name to SeedChange (Sème l’avenir in French) to better reflect the organization’s mission and history, and to attract a new generation of supporters. Today, SeedChange continues to operate in Ottawa and, since the early 2000s, has focused its work on small-scale farmers in 12 countries, including Canada. Its current mission is to “build food sovereignty by working with partners to enhance biodiversity, promote ecological food systems, and counter inequity.”

While she never served in an army, Ms. Hitschmanova created a USC Canada uniform to comply with a requirement at that time that UN workers had to wear an identifiable uniform. The outfit was comfortable and reduced the number of clothes she needed and enabled her to travel more easily across borders and access refugee camps. Today, Ms. Hitschmanova’s uniform has been preserved at the Canadian War Museum and it has been featured at the Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21 to highlight her work with refugees.

In 1970, Lotta Hitschmanova wrote a book about her experiences working for USC Canada entitled, The USC Story: A Quarter Century of Loving Service by the Unitarian Service Committee. Through her fundraising efforts, the USC raised an outstanding total of 128.9 million dollars between 1945 and 1984.

In recognition of her exceptional service, Lotta Hitschmanova was awarded the Gold Medal from the Cross of France (1950) and the Medal of St. Paul from Greece (1952). She also received the Canadian Centennial Medal; the Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee Medal; the Republic of Korea: Order of Civil Merit; Médaille de la Reconnaissance française; United Nations Headquarters Medal; and, the Decoration for Order and Peace, 1945-1949 from the Netherlands. In 1968, Ms. Hitschmanova was made an Officer of the Order of Canada and was promoted to Companion in 1979.

The City of Ottawa proclaimed November 28, 2009, as “Dr. Lotta Hitschmanova Day” in recognition of the 100th anniversary of her birth. The proclamation noted that Dr. Hitschmanova ‘dedicated her life to helping people in far-off lands’ and ‘helped mobilize Canadians from coast to coast to coast, putting Ottawa on the map as not only a seat of national government and political debate, but also a center of Canadian concern for the rest of the world.’

In addition, Dr. Hitschmanova had an oat variety named after her. Vernon Burrows, a renowned Canadian scientist specializing in oat research, called one of his new oat varieties the ACLotta. In 2002, USC Canada created the Lotta Hitschmanova Endowment Fund.

Dr. Hitschmanova represented Canadians at their best by alleviating human misery thousands of miles away from home.

Written by Barb Koppe

Sources

Dreskin, N., 1967. If you haven’t met Lotta Hitschmanova, it’s probably because you aren’t starving, sick or homeless in a foreign land | Maclean’s | SEPTEMBER 1967. [online] Maclean’s | The Complete Archive. Available at: <https://archive.macleans.ca/article/1967/9/1/if-you-havent-met-lotta-hitschmanova-its-probably-because-you-arent-starving-sick-or-homeless-in-a-f> [Accessed 19 February 2021].

En.wikipedia.org. 2021. Lotta Hitschmanova. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lotta_Hitschmanova> [Accessed 19 February 2021].

Grohsmeyer, J., n.d. Lotta Hitschmanova, Mother of a Thousand. [online] UUA.org. Available at: <https://www.uua.org/re/tapestry/youth/virtueethics/workshop5/hitschmanova> [Accessed 19 February 2021].

Ouellette, J., 2009. Honouring Women in the City of Ottawa. [online] Womeninottawa.blogspot.com. Available at: <http://womeninottawa.blogspot.com/2009/09/streets-and-places.html> [Accessed 19 February 2021].

Sylva M. Gelber

Historical Trailblazers

Sylva M. Gelber served Canada most notably as Director of the Women’s Bureau of the Department of Labour and as a Canadian representative on the UN Commission for the Status of Women. She was a strong advocate for women’s rights and helped to introduce equal-pay legislation, maternity leave, and women’s pension benefits into Canadian society.

Ms. Gelber was born in 1910 in Toronto, Ontario.  She attended school at the Havergal Ladies College, an all-girls school in the 1920s and later enrolled for courses at the New York University and the University of Toronto that did not yield any formal degrees. Following a brief period as a columnist for the Jewish Standard (a Toronto Zionist publication) she moved to Palestine in 1932 where she enrolled in the School of Social Work founded by Henrietta Szold (1860-1945).

Ms. Gelber’s career began as a pioneer family counselor and a probation officer with the Va’ad Le’umi Social Work Bureau from 1932 to 1937 and, subsequently, as a medical social worker with the Hadassah Medical Organization until 1942. From 1942 to 1948, she worked for the (British) Government of Palestine Department of Labor. During this entire period, she was also an active member of a small group of Jerusalemites of North American origin that included Henrietta Szold, the Zionist leader, and Judah Magnes (1877–1948), the president of the Hebrew University.

In 1948, Ms. Gelber returned to Canada and embarked on a distinguished career with the Canadian public service. From 1950 to 1968, she worked as a health insurance consultant with the Government of Canada’s Department of National Health and Welfare. Immediately following this position, she served as director of the Women’s Bureau of the Canada Department of Labor until 1975 and was the Canadian representative to the UN Commission on the Status of Women from 1970 to ‘74. At the same time, she also served as a special advisor to the Canadian UN General Assembly delegation and as a Canadian delegate at conferences of the International Labor Organization. In addition, she served on the boards of governors of the Canadian Human Rights Foundation, Trent University, and the Canada-Israel Cultural Foundation.

Of note, was her passion and support of music and the visual arts, in particular as they related to helping exceptionally talented musicians achieve their potential. As a result, in 1973, she founded and became President of the Sylva Gelber Music Foundation, formerly the “Young Canada Music Foundation.” From 1981 to 2007, the foundation primarily financed the Sylva Gelber Music Foundation Awards administered by the Canada Council for the Arts. The Council presented this award annually to one or two most talented Canadian artists in classical music performance under the age of 30. Following her death, the Sylva Gelber Music Foundation was made a major beneficiary of her estate which resulted in replacing the awards available through the Canada Council with a new program that expanded the size and number of awards.

The Foundation also made a significant contribution to the Piano Pedagogy Research Laboratory at the University of Ottawa’s School of Music, the world’s first lab focused exclusively on the scientific study of piano pedagogy. Today, this state-of-the-art research facility continues to bring together researchers with expertise in a variety of disciplines including music, education, psychology, health sciences, information technology, bio-engineering, and neurosciences.

In recognition of her achievements and generosity, Sylva Gelber was awarded honorary degrees from Queen’s, Memorial, Guelph, Trent, and Mount St. Vincent universities. She was also bestowed with the Canadian Centennial Medal in 1967 and made an officer of the Order of Canada in 1975.

Her Yishuv experiences are chronicled in an award winning memoir, No Balm in Gilead in 1989

Written by Bhargavi Shankar

Sources

Brown, Michael. “Sylva Gelber.” Jewish Women: A Comprehensive Historical Encyclopedia. 27 February 2009. Jewish Women’s Archive. (Viewed on February 6, 2021) <https://jwa.org/encyclopedia/article/gelber-sylva>.

Sylvagelber.ca. 2021. About | The Sylva Gelber Music Foundation. [online] Available at: <http://www.sylvagelber.ca/about/> [Accessed 6 February 2021].

Lillian Bilsky Freiman

Historical Trailblazers

Fondly referred to as “The Poppy Lady”, Lillian Bilsky Freiman was a gifted organizer, administrator, and Jewish-Canadian philanthropist of national historic significance whose efforts helped improve the health and welfare of fellow citizens.

Born in Mattawa, Ontario in 1885, Ms. Freiman’s benevolent role in Canadian society began at the outbreak of World War One with the creation of a sewing circle that became a Disraeli Chapter of the Daughters of the Empire. Setting up 30 sewing machines in her home, Ms. Freiman organized the production of clothing and blankets for soldiers fighting overseas. She later co-founded The Great War Veterans’ Association, Canada’s largest organization of its kind and predecessor to the Royal Canadian Legion. In appreciation, Ms. Freiman was made an honorary member for life, the first woman ever granted this standing.

In 1918, the Mayor of Ottawa, who was familiar with Ms. Freiman’s extraordinary organizational skills, asked her to coordinate a 1500-person volunteer relief effort to help address the devastating outbreak of the Spanish Flu. Among the activities she initiated was a public information campaign aimed at preventing the spread of the disease.

Even as the war ended, Ms. Freiman’s efforts on behalf of veterans did not. She became a member of the National Poppy Advisory Committee and was Chair of Ottawa’s annual poppy campaign almost every year until her death. The first poppies made in Canada were crafted by Ms. Freiman in her living room and her role in popularizing them as a symbol of remembrance gave rise to her affectionate nickname. Increasingly associated with the war effort since the dissemination of John McCrae’s poem “In Flanders Fields,” the poppy became an instantly recognizable method of fundraising for veterans’ causes. Poppy production was taken over eventually by the Vetcraft Shops, whose creation Ms. Freiman had helped inspire in 1919 as a means of creating employment for returning soldiers.

It was not only veterans who were the subject of Ms. Freiman’s postwar humanitarian attentions. In 1921, she assisted approximately 150 Jewish orphans of the war in emigrating from Ukraine to Canada, one of whom was adopted by Ms. Freiman and her husband. She also chaired the United Palestine Appeal in 1934 and was the founder of the Canadian Hadassah, a woman’s Zionist Organization. Under her 21-year leadership, the organization grew to 68 Chapters totalling 4,500 women.

Ms. Freiman’s many other philanthropic roles included the Ottawa Welfare Bureau, the Protestant Infants Home, the Canadian Institute for the Blind, the Red Cross Society, the Amputations Association of Great War Veterans of Canada, the Salvation Army, the Big Sisters’ Association, the YMCA, and the Joan of Arc Society. She was also actively involved with the Girl Guides Association, the Ladies Hebrew Benevolent Association, the Ladies Auxiliary of Adath Jeshurun Congregation and the Ladies Auxiliary of B’nai B’rith.

Among the many accolades she received for her tireless work, Ms. Freiman was awarded the Order of the British Empire. Bestowed upon her by King George V in 1934, Lillian Freiman was the first Jewish Canadian to receive this honour. In 1924, delegates of the Canadian National Convention named a school after Ms. Freiman and, in 1957, her Victorian-style mansion was converted into the Ottawa Army Officers’ Mess. In further recognition of her extensive contributions, an exhibit on her life was curated by the Bytown Museum and she was named a Person of National Historic Significance by the Canadian Government in 2008.

Lillian Bilsky Freiman was an inspirational leader whose exceptional humanitarian endeavours have left a lasting legacy, not solely in Ottawa, but nationally and internationally.

Biography written by Robin Kennedy

Sources

Biographi.ca. 2021.Biography – BILSKY, LILLIAN (Freiman) – Volume XVI (1931-1940) – Dictionary Of Canadian Biography. [online] Available at: <http://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/bilsky_lillian_16E.html> [Accessed 25 January 2021].

Gillis, M., 2021. Capital Facts: An Ottawa Woman Introduced The Remembrance Day Poppy To Canada | Ottawa Citizen. [online] Ottawacitizen.com. Available at: <https://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-news/capital-facts-an-ottawa-woman-introduced-the-remembrance-day-poppy-to-canada> [Accessed 25 January 2021].

 En.wikipedia.org. 2021. Lillian Bilsky Freiman. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lillian_Bilsky_Freiman> [Accessed 25 January 2021].

Celia Franca

Historical Trailblazers

Celebrated as founder of the National Ballet of Canada, Celia Franca devoted her entire life to dance. Her passion created opportunities for Canadian dancers, along with managerial and support staff, while inspiring a new generation of future dancers in Ottawa and nationally.

Born in 1921 in London, England to Jewish Polish immigrant parents, Celia Franca began studying ballet at the age of 4. She attended the Guildhall School of Music and the Royal Academy of Dancing as a scholarship student. At the age of 15, she made her professional debut with the Ballet Rambert where she performed in The Planets. From there she joined the Ballet des Trois Arts, and choreographed her first piece called Midas in 1939. In 1941, at the age of 20, she joined the Sadler’s Well dance company and subsequently Metropolitan Ballet, the Ballet Jooss, and other companies. Concurrently, she created BBC’s first two ballets, the Eve of St. Agnes and Dance of Salomé.

It was in 1951, while attending a Canadian festival in Toronto, that Ms. Franca was approached by a group of balletomanes who requested that she come to Canada to establish a classical company. Celia Franca accepted and moved to Toronto, getting a job at Eaton’s as a file clerk. While working, she recruited and trained dancers, hired artistic staff members, and staged Promenade Concerts. Within ten months, the National Ballet of Canada had its grand opening on November 12, 1951. The premiere was held in Toronto and the program included Ms. Franca’s own staging of Michel Fokine’s Les Sylphides.

Following the success of the National Ballet of Canada, Celia Franca co-founded the National Ballet School of Canada in 1959. She relied on the classics to build the school’s repertoire, but also created her own ballets including Cinderella in 1968 which won an Emmy in 1970. In addition, the repertoire included 30 Canadian ballets. Under her skillful direction, the company gained international acclaim, with tours throughout Canada, Europe, Japan, Mexico and the United States. At the same time, Ms. Franca created the National Ballet’s Choreographic Workshops as an avenue for fostering additional Canadian talent.

Though Celia Franca may have taken her professional retirement in 1975, she continued to remain involved in the arts scene. After her retirement, she moved to Ottawa where she served as Co-Artistic Director at The School of Dance while remaining engaged in every aspect of the school. Whether teaching classes, acting as a coach for young dancers, or as artistic mentor for performances, her commitment to the students was notable. She was also integral to the school’s fundraising events and was a prominent member of the Ottawa dance scene for more than three decades.

Throughout her career, Celia Franca was recipient of many honours celebrating her achievements and her influential legacy in the arts in Canada. She was made an Officer of the Order of Canada in 1967 and was promoted to Companion in 1985. She received a Governor General’s Performing Arts Award for Lifetime Artistic Achievement in 1994, and in 1986 she received the Canadian Conference of the Arts Diplôme d’Honneur. She was among the first to be honoured with the Order of Ontario, and in 1987 she received the St. George’s Society of Toronto Award. In 1985, the School of Dance created the Celia Franca Scholarship in her honour, and a book has been written about her life titled, The Pursuit of Perfection: A Life of Celia Franca by Carol Bishop-Gwyn.

Written by Robyn Winklareth

Sources  

En.wikipedia.org. 2021. Celia Franca. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Celia_Franca> [Accessed 5 February 2021].

Encyclopedia.com. 2021. Franca, Celia (1921—) | Encyclopedia.com. [online] Available at: <https://www.encyclopedia.com/women/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/franca-celia-1921> [Accessed 5 February 2021].

Ellen Louks Fairclough

Historical Trailblazers

Ellen Louks Fairclough was a trailblazer and Canada’s first female Federal Cabinet Minister. Her contributions to policies related to immigration, pay equity, and women’s rights have greatly improved the opportunities for many Canadians.

Ms. Fairclough was born in Hamilton, Ontario in 1905. She was a chartered accountant by training and started her career as an entrepreneur of an accounting firm. She also served as a member of the Executive for the Girl Guides of Canada.

Paving her way to a career in politics, she served as a member of City Council in Hamilton in 1945 and became the Deputy Mayor of Hamilton. In 1950, she won in the federal by-election in the riding of Hamilton West. As a Member of Parliament, Ms. Fairclough was vocal about women’s rights. In her capacity as Progressive Conservative Labour Critic, she was instrumental in the creation of the Department of Labour Women’s Bureau and in introducing a bill advocating equal opportunities for women and equal pay for equal work.

In 1957, Ellen Fairclough was appointed as Secretary of State by Prime Minister John Diefenbaker. During her time within federal office, she started the Dominion Day celebrations (currently known as Canada Day Celebrations on Parliament Hill).  In 1958, she was appointed as the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration and, while in charge of this portfolio, she introduced a number of reforms on immigration policy. The result was a more balanced and friendlier policy with a greater liberal approach towards refugees. Throughout her career, she also served as Minister responsible for Indian Affairs and was in charge of the National Gallery, the National Film Board, the Dominion Archives and the National Library. Furthermore, Ms. Fairclough briefly served as Acting Prime Minister of Canada in 1958, the first woman ever to occupy this position.

Ellen Fairclough rounded off her political career by serving as the Postmaster-General from 1962 to 1963. She continued to be passionate about women’s issues and rights to equal pay well after her active political career. She was the major supporter of Kim Campbell for the Progressive Conservative Party leadership in 1993. Ms. Campbell went on to become Canada’s first female Prime Minister.

As a pioneer and forerunner of women’s rights in Canada, Ms. Fairclough gives us a glimpse of her zealous and illustrious career through her memoirs Saturday’s Child: Memoirs of Canada’s First Female Cabinet Minister that were published in 1995.

In recognition of her revolutionary contributions to women’s rights and for her service to Canadian democracy, Ellen Louks Fairclough was graced with several honors and titles. She was conferred the title of Right Honourable by Queen Elizabeth II (July 1992) – one of few citizens to have been bestowed with this title who has not served as the  Prime Minister, Governor General, or Chief Justice. Other noted honours bestowed on Ms. Fairclough included the naming of the Ontario government office tower in Hamilton as the ‘Ellen Fairclough Building’ (1982); she was invested Dame of Grace, Order of St John of Jerusalem, Knights Hospitaler (1985); was recipient of the Persons Award (1989); was named Officer of the Order of Canada (1979) and promoted to Companion (1994); and, received the Order of Ontario (1996). In June 2005, Canada Post commemorated Ellen Louks Fairclough by issuing a postage stamp in her honour.

Biography written by Bhargavi Shankar

Sources  

En.wikipedia.org. 2021. Ellen Fairclough. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ellen_Fairclough> [Accessed 26 January 2021].

The Governor General of Canada. 2021. Ellen Louks Fairclough, C.C.. [online] Available at: <https://www.gg.ca/en/node/154> [Accessed 26 January 2021].

Thecanadianencyclopedia.ca. 2021. Ellen Fairclough | The Canadian Encyclopedia. [online] Available at: <https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/ellen-fairclough> [Accessed 26 January 2021].

Olive Patricia Dickason

Historical Trailblazers

Olive Patricia Dickason was a journalist, historian, university professor, and author whose ground-breaking research and books transformed Canadians’ perceptions and knowledge of Indigenous and Métis history.

Ms. Dickason was born in 1920 and, as a child, she attended a private Catholic school in Winnipeg until the Great Depression brought about the family’s financial ruin that forced them to uproot and move to Manitoba’s Interlake region.

Encouraged by her mentor, Olive Dickason finished high school in Saskatchewan prior to pursuing post-secondary education. She completed a Bachelor of Arts degree in French and philosophy at Notre Dame College (an affiliate of the University of Ottawa) while working as a general assignment reporter for the Regina Leader-Post (1941-1946).  As a young adult working in Regina, Olive Dickason met some of her mother’s relatives and became aware of her Métis ancestry for the first time.

In 1946, she reported for the Winnipeg Free Press for a year. After moving to Montreal, she began freelancing for mostly industrial magazines and then began working as a general reporter for the Montreal Gazette where she became their women’s editor.

Olive Dickason moved to Toronto in 1995 and became women’s editor at the Globe and Mail, covering local and international fashion trends. In 1956 and 1958, she won top Elizabeth Arden Awards for fashion reporting and, in the 1960s she received two Judy Awards for fashion writing and two MacLaren technical awards for typography and page layouts.

After 12 years, Ms. Dickason decided to leave her job at the Globe and Mail.  She moved to Ottawa and enrolled in several history courses at the University of Ottawa. At the same time, she worked in public relations for the National Gallery of Canada where she developed a strong connection with some early Indigenous artifacts on loan to the gallery. This inspired her to research Indigenous history in North America and, at age 50, Ms. Dickason applied to a Masters of History program at the University of Ottawa, determined to improve the historical record of Canada’s First Nations and to write about Indigenous Canadians in French Canada.

Upon completing her master’s thesis “Louisburg and the Indians: A Study in Imperial Race Relations 1713-1760”, she graduated in 1972 with an MA. This would mark a first since no dissertation on First Nations history in Canada had been previously written by a history candidate and the academic field of Indigenous studies was practically non-existent. Five years later, Olive Dickason graduated with a PhD in Indigenous Canadian history at the University of Ottawa following her doctoral dissertation entitled The Myth of the Savage that was eventually published.  She would be the first person in Canada to receive a PhD in Indigenous history.

In 1985, Dr. Dickason began lecturing at the University of Alberta and received tenure as a full professor. Her scholarly articles and books, now part of curricula across the globe, brought her recognition as Canada’s foremost expert on Indigenous and Métis history. Her time as a professor and her significant contributions to the literature of history in Canada has created a foundation and inspiration for future scholars in continuing this historical work.

Included amongst the numerous publications that Dr. Dickason authored was her ground-breaking work, Canada’s First Nations: A History of Founding Peoples from Earliest Times; Visions of the Heart; and, the Beginnings of French Colonialism in the Americas. Her publication, Indian Arts in Canada, won three awards for conception and design and she co-authored The Law of Nations and the New World.

As a key figure in the study of Indigenous history in Canada’s academic realm, Dr. Dickason received a number of awards and recognitions, including the Order of Canada in 1996 and the Aboriginal Achievement Award (now the Indspire Award) in 1997. She was also the recipient of numerous honorary doctorates throughout the years.

Olive Dickason’s book Canada’s First Nations: A History of Founding Peoples from Earliest Times (1992) was awarded the 1993 Sir John A. Macdonald Prize for best scholarly book in Canadian history. The Gabriel Dumont Institute in Saskatoon has a collection of Dickason’s letters, articles and related materials. An exhibit at Quebec’s Canadian Museum of Civilization pays tribute to Olive Dickason and her books.

At the University of Calgary, the First Nations Student Association and The Native Centre present the Dr. Olive Dickason Award to an Indigenous student who has overcome extreme challenges to achieve success and graduate. The University of Alberta dedicated a room to her in 2017 while Trent University in Peterborough, Ontario, has the Olive Dickason Reading Room for students enrolled in Indigenous Studies.

Dr. Olive Dickason was a trailblazer whose research has made significant contributions to Canadians’ understanding of Indigenous and Métis people. She was also an inspirational role model for students, women and her Métis community.

Biography written by Barb Koppe

Sources: 

Conn, H., 2013. Olive Dickason | The Canadian Encyclopedia. [online] Thecanadianencyclopedia.ca. Available at: <https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/olive-dickason> [Accessed 6 February 2021].

En.wikipedia.org. 2021. Olive Dickason. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olive_Dickason> [Accessed 6 February 2021].

Indspire. 1997. Olive Patricia Dickason | Indspire. [online] Available at: <https://indspire.ca/laureate/olive-patricia-dickason-2/> [Accessed 6 February 2021].

Ruth Marion Bell

Historical Trailblazers

Dr. Ruth Bell was an educator, volunteer, and a champion for women’s and children’s rights who advocated for change through civic and political engagement.

Born in Detroit in 1919, Ruth Bell immigrated to Canada in 1929.

As a resolute scholar, Ms. Bell earned credits at seven universities on two continents, with a culmination of her BA in Political Economy from the University of Toronto’s Trinity College in 1955 and her MA in Political Science at Carleton University in 1965. Her dedication to education, however, expanded beyond her academic accomplishments. She served as the University of Waterloo’s Dean of Renison College and as a political science lecturer at Waterloo, Carleton University, St. Patrick’s College and Algonquin College.

Dr. Bell, an ardent supporter of literacy, worked assiduously on behalf of regional and local library boards including the Ontario Library Trustees Association, the Eastern Ontario Trustees Association and the Nepean Public Library. She believed in the preservation of archives that ultimately led to the creation of the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada’s Macdonald-Cartier Library. She also had a passion for history which saw the formation of the Nepean Museum along with a donation of her beloved “Fairfields” (a 19th century farmhouse) to the City of Nepean.

In 1975, the United Nations declared the year as International Women’s Year. This provided a platform for Dr. Bell and the Canadian Federation of University Women to champion the empowerment of women by influencing family property law reform, end gender stereotyping in educational institutions and advance opportunities for women to serve on boards. On the international front, Dr. Bell influenced progress as founding member and first Chair of UNESCO’s Sub-Commission on the Status of Women, was involved in a number of International Federation of University Women (IFUW) conferences, and served on IFUW committees.

As a believer in the power of volunteerism in contributing to the economy and quality of society and public life, Dr. Ruth Bell was involved in a number of charitable and non-profit organizations. She served more than 50 organizations in a variety of capacities as founding member, member, president, and lifetime member. Some of the organizations included Match International, the Canadian Research Institute for the Advancement of Women, the Forum for Young Canadians, the Canadian Commission for International Year of the Child, the YM-YWCA, the National and Ottawa Council of Women, the Social Sciences & Humanities Research Council, the Royal Ottawa Hospital, the Ontario Educational Communications Authority, Canadian Committee for Learning Opportunities for Women, among others. Also, she was the longest serving director of TVOntario, and a director of the Canadian Adult Education Association. Additionally, Dr. Bell was a founding member of the Foundation for the Study of Processes of Government in Canada – a registered non-profit organization that offers innovative programming that engages youth in Canada’s democratic process and its institutions resulting in the empowerment of youth for lifelong and meaningful civic engagement.

Furthermore, Dr. Ruth Bell was instrumental in setting up the Canadian Federation of University Women (CFUW) Charitable Trust, was National President from 1973 to 1976, and held the title of CFUW Archivist Emeritas. CFUW Ottawa’s new Centennial Scholarship was the prime beneficiary of Dr. Bell’s biography, “Be a Nice Girl…A Woman’s Journey in the 20th Century” that she co-authored with Andrea M. McCormick.

In appreciation for her contributions and commitment, Dr. Ruth Bell received numerous awards and recognitions. She was recipient of the Order of Canada (1981); the City of Nepean’s Distinguished Citizen Award (1982); an honourary Doctorate of Laws  from Carleton University (1984); the City of Nepean’s Millennium Medal (2000); Queen Elizabeth’s Golden Jubilee Medal (2002); the Governor General’s Award in Commemoration of the Persons Case (2005); the YMCA-YWCA Women of Distinction Awards: Scotiabank Lifetime Achievement Award (2007); and, Carleton’ University’s highest non-academic award, the Founders Award (2008).

Ruth Bell was a relentless volunteer and advocate for women’s and children’s rights who broke the glass ceiling and helped pave the way for women to garner equal opportunity through education and legislation.

Sources

Cfuw-ottawa.org. 2021. CFUW – Ottawa – Dr. Ruth M. Bell, CM, LL.D., 39th CFUW-Ottawa President, 1968-70, 19th CFUW President, 1973-76. [online] Available at: <https://www.cfuw-ottawa.org/page-805993/3737398> [Accessed 31 January 2021].

FITTERMAN, L., 2021. Women’s rights advocate Ruth Bell refused to be a ‘nice girl’. [online] The Globe and Mail. Available at: <https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/womens-rights-advocate-ruth-bell-refused-to-be-a-nice-girl/article28234515/> [Accessed 31 January 2021].

Forum.ca. 2021. Ruth Marion Bell: Celebrating an Extraordinary Life | Forum. [online] Available at: <http://forum.ca/ruth-marion-bell-celebrating-an-extraordinary-life/?lang=en> [Accessed 31 January 2021].

Legacy.com. 2021. Ruth BELL Obituary (2015) – Ottawa Citizen. [online] Available at: <http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/ottawacitizen/obituary.aspx?pid=176956406> [Accessed 31 January 2021].

Florence Bird

Historical Trailblazers

Florence Bird was a Canadian broadcaster, journalist and senator who is best remembered for her work on women’s rights, pay equity and improving the circumstances in women’s prisons.

Born in 1908 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Ms. Bird immigrated to Canada in 1931, settling in Montreal were she wrote for a political magazine, Canadian Forum. In 1937, she moved to Winnipeg and developed her journalistic skills by volunteering for the Winnipeg Tribune during the Second World War where she wrote a column on Canadian women’s contributions to the war effort called, Holding the Home Front. She became known to the public by her pen name, Anne Francis.

In 1941, she hosted Behind the Headlines, a provincially owned radio station program. She worked as a news commentator for CBC English from 1942 to 1966 and produced documentaries on women’s rights, pay equity, reconciling work and family life, conditions in Canadian women’s prisons, and international affairs.

She is best remembered as Chair of the Royal Commission on the Status of Women (1967 to 1970) – the first time that a woman chaired a royal commission. The Commission’s findings raised the consciousness of Canadians regarding gender inequality and discrimination faced by women. As a result, Canada introduced parental leave, the availability of birth control and reproductive choice, and increased educational opportunities for women. When the report was tabled, there were no women’s shelters in Canada; however, in the following years, shelters opened across the country. Also, during this period, only one woman held a seat in the House of Commons.

Following the Commission, Ms. Bird became a news broadcaster for CBC/Radio-Canada producing documentaries on women’s work circumstances and conditions in women’s prisons. In 1974, she published, Anne Francis: An Autobiography. Her other publications included, The Rights of Women, Language: Bridge or Barrier, The Return of France to North America, and Holiday in the Woods.

Ms. Bird served as a Senator from 1978 until 1983 when she was appointed to the Advisory Council on the Status of Refugees.

In recognition of her contributions, she was made Companion of the Order of Canada in 1971 and was named a recipient of the Governor General’s Awards in Commemoration of the Persons Case in 1983.  Also, every year since 1987, the Pauline Jewett Institute of Women’s and Gender Studies at Carleton University has presented the Florence Bird Lecture.

In 1996, the International Centre for Human Rights and Democratic Development in Montréal established the Florence Bird Award to honour women working in communications who increase public awareness of women’s rights. In 1999, Status of Women Canada opened the Florence Bird Memorial Library in Ottawa. It houses one of Canada’s most complete collections of resource materials on women and gender equality, including over 20,000 monographs and other publications on women’s issues, as well as government documents, international publications, and independently produced reports and surveys.

Canada’s women are indebted to Florence Bird for her leadership and outstanding advocacy for women’s rights as a journalist, politician and as Chair of the Royal Commission on the Status of Women.

Biography written by Kerry Smith

Source(s): 

Canada, W., 2021. Statement by Minister Monsef on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the tabling in Parliament of the Report by the Royal Commission on the Status of Women in Canada. [online] Newswire.ca. Available at: <https://www.newswire.ca/news-releases/statement-by-minister-monsef-on-the-occasion-of-the-50th-anniversary-of-the-tabling-in-parliament-of-the-report-by-the-royal-commission-on-the-status-of-women-in-canada-838684796.html> [Accessed 31 January 2021].

Francis, Anne. 1966. The Return of France to North America. Canadian Institute of International Affairs, 27 pages. https://books.google.ca/books/about/The_Return_of_France_to_North_America.html?id=A4GgwgEACAAJ&redir_esc=y [Accessed 8 February 2021].

Morris, C., 2021. Florence Bird | The Canadian Encyclopedia. [online] Thecanadianencyclopedia.ca. Available at: <https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/florence-bird> [Accessed 31 January 2021].

Marion Dewar

Historical Trailblazers

Marion Dewar worked tirelessly to bring about not-for-profit housing, better public transportation, support and encouragement for the arts, peace, and women’s rights. She advocated for the equality of visible minorities, gays and lesbians, and was a driving force behind helping refugees.

Ms. Dewar held many political offices including the 52^nd Mayor of Ottawa (1978–1985), President of the federal New Democratic Party (1985–1987), and, as a Member of Parliament for the Constituency of Hamilton Mountain (1987–1988). Prior to becoming Mayor, she was an Alderwoman (1973–1974) for Britannia Ward, City Controller (1975–1978), and Deputy Mayor (1974–1978).

She also served as the Chair of the Ottawa-Carleton Police Services Board that oversaw the merger of the Ottawa, Nepean, and Gloucester police forces.

Before entering politics, Marion Dewar graduated from Saint Joseph’s School of Nursing in Kingston, Ontario in 1949, and was a nurse in the Ottawa region until 1952. She later studied nursing science and public health at the University of Ottawa and was a public health nurse from 1969 to 1971.

As Mayor, Marion Dewar made it easier for citizens to be involved in municipal decision-making and greatly improved access to low-cost housing and child care services. She modeled the role of helping groups connect with each other and distinguished herself as a tough negotiator in the Rideau Centre project. She also introduced disarmament referendums to municipal politics and encouraged other municipalities to do the same. As a peace activist, she picketed the U.S. Embassy in Ottawa after the U.S. invasion of Grenada in 1983.

One of her strongest legacies, however, is her leadership in Project 4000 (1979–1980) that encouraged Ottawa citizens to sponsor 4,000 Vietnamese, Cambodian, and Laotian refugees, also known as “boat people.” By 1985, Canada was among the nations that had taken in the most refugees from Southeast Asia, making Ottawa a model for other cities to this day.

In addition to her political endeavours, Ms. Dewar volunteered for many community organizations, including the Ottawa Women’s Credit Union. In 1995, she became Chair of Oxfam Canada.

For her contributions, Ms, Dewar became a Member of the Order of Canada, Canada’s highest civilian honour, in 2002. Her citation reads, “As Mayor of the City of Ottawa, she introduced a number of improvements to the region’s social fabric. Under her leadership, access to affordable child care and non-profit housing was improved, support services for seniors and persons with disabilities increased, and the community welcomed thousands of refugees. She continues to be active, gathering people together from all facets of the political spectrum to work for causes that transcend partisanship.”

On September 25, 1999, the City also acknowledged her commitment through the naming of Marion Dewar Plaza. Located adjacent to the Ottawa City Hall complex, this site hosts many local festivals and special events.

In recognition of her outstanding work on behalf of refugees and other immigrants, The Ottawa Community Immigrant Services Organization (OCISO) established the Marion Dewar Scholarship Fund in 2009 with a legacy endowment that helps to pay for tuition and supplies for post-secondary education of refugee and immigrant high school students.

Today, thanks to the leadership of Marion Dewar, Ottawa is a stronger and more inclusive city.

Biography written by Kerry Smith.

Sources:

Gorham, D. (2016, September 13). Marion Dewar: A Life of Action by Deborah Gorham. Retrieved January 18, 2021, from https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30038144-marion-dewar

Marion Dewar. (2021, January 02). Retrieved January 18, 2021, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marion_Dewar

Ottawa Citizen. (2017, May 06). Capital Facts: The refugee project that forever shaped Ottawa. Retrieved January 18, 2021, from https://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-news/capital-facts-the-refugee-project-that-forever-shaped-ottawa

The Canadian Encyclopaedia. (2011, October 17). Marion Dewar. Retrieved January 19, 2021, from https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/marion-dewar