Marie-Claire Kirkland
| Marie-Claire Kirkland | |
|---|---|
| File:Claire Kirkland-Casgrain.png
Marie-Claire Kirkland-Casgrain in 1971
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| MLA for Jacques-Cartier | |
| In office 1961–1966 |
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| Preceded by | Charles-Aimé Kirkland |
| Succeeded by | Noël Saint-Germain |
| MNA for Marguerite-Bourgeoys | |
| In office 1966–1973 |
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| Preceded by | first member |
| Succeeded by | Fernand Lalonde |
| Personal details | |
| Born | September 8, 1924 Palmer, Massachusetts |
| Political party | Liberal |
Marie-Claire Kirkland-Casgrain, CM CQ (born September 8, 1924) is a Quebec lawyer, judge and politician. She was the first woman elected to the Legislative Assembly of Quebec, the first woman appointed a Cabinet minister in Quebec, the first woman appointed acting premier, and the first woman judge to serve in the Quebec Provincial Court.
Contents
Life
Born in Palmer, Massachusetts, the daughter of Charles-Aimé Kirkland, a Quebec MLA from 1939 to 1961, and Rose Demers, she received a Bachelor of Arts in 1947 and a Bachelor of Civil Law in 1950 from McGill University. She was admitted to the Quebec Bar in 1952 and was made a Queen's Counsel in 1969. From 1952 to 1961, she practiced law in Montreal.
She was elected in a by-election as a Liberal in her father's riding of Jacques-Cartier after his death in 1961. She was re-elected in 1962. She held two cabinet posts in the government of Jean Lesage: Minister without Portfolio (1962 to 1964) and Minister of Transport and Communications (1964 to 1966). In 1966, she was elected in the riding of Marguerite-Bourgeoys and re-elected in 1970. She also held two cabinet posts in the government of Robert Bourassa: Minister of Tourism, Game and Fishing (1970 to 1972) and Minister of Cultural Affairs (1972 to 1973).
She resigned in 1973 to become a judge. She retired in 1991.
In 1985, she was made a Knight of the National Order of Quebec. In 1992, she was made a Member of the Order of Canada.
She was married to lawyer Philippe Casgrain with whom she had three children before they eventually divorced. She remarried Wyndham Strover.
Legacy
In 2012 the Canadian Pauline Marois unveiled a statue of Casgrain, Idola Saint-Jean and Kirkland on Parliament Hill. The statue by Jules Lasalle was to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Kirkland being made the first Canadian female minister.[1]
External links
References
- ↑ Monument to women in politics, Radio Canada, in French, retrieved 28 December 2014
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- Pages with broken file links
- Articles with French-language external links
- 1924 births
- Living people
- Judges in Quebec
- Lawyers in Quebec
- Knights of the National Order of Quebec
- Members of the Order of Canada
- McGill University alumni
- People from Hampden County, Massachusetts
- Quebec Liberal Party MNAs
- Women MNAs in Quebec
- Canadian women judges
- Canadian women lawyers
