Ellen Fairclough

Ellen Louks Fairclough PC, CC, O.Ont ( born January 28, 1905 in Hamilton, Ontario, † 13 November 2004 ibid ) was a Canadian politician. She was from 1950 to 1963 Member of the House of Commons. Mail and immigration minister, she was a member of the progressive- conservative cabinet of John Diefenbaker, and was the first woman ever, the Minister was in Canada.

Biography

Fairclough was a professional qualified accountant and led before her entry into politics an accounting firm. From 1945 to 1950 she served on the City Council of Hamilton. After she was still inferior to the general election in 1949, her later collection of managed one year at a by-election in Hamilton County West into parliament. They fought for gender equality, especially for equal pay for equal work.

After the electoral victory of the Progressive Conservatives at the general election in 1957, Prime Minister John Diefenbaker appointed her Secretary of State for Canada. She was the first woman in the federal government. After ten months, she became head of the Citizenship and Immigration Department. In this capacity, she introduced a new immigration law, which without the previously usual racial discrimination largely got along, as a more liberal refugee policy. On 19 and 20 February 1958, she was executive Prime Minister, when she temporarily took Diefenbaker. In May 1962, she took over the Ministry of Postal Services.

At the general election in 1963 Fairclough was voted out. She was then member of the management of the financial institution Hamilton Trust and Savings Corporation and President of the Board of the Electricity Company Hamilton Hydro. Finally, she was treasurer of the charity Zonta International. 1982 a government building was named in Hamilton after her. Published in 1995, Fairclough her ​​memoirs under the title of Saturday's Child: Memoirs of Canada 's First Female Cabinet Minister. In June 2005, the Canada Post gave her honor issuing a stamp.