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Date of birth: Place of birth:
Callings:
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Photo : Ville de Montréal, Gestion de documents et archives
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Jeanne Sauvé left
Saskatchewan at a young age when her parents sent
her to finish her education at the
Notre-Dame-du-Rosaire Convent in Ottawa. She then
studied at the University of Ottawa. After that she
took part in many youth movements, including the
Jeunesse étudiante catholique de
Montréal. From 1942 to 1948, she travelled
in North America and served as a bilingual
spokeswoman for the Mouvement de l'action sociale.
In 1948, she married Maurice Sauvé and the
couple decided to move to London, and then to
Paris. She worked as an assistant to the Youth
Secretariat of UNESCO and obtained a diplome
d'études in French civilization from the
University of Paris.
On her return to Canada in
1952, Jeanne Sauvé began a career as a
freelance journalist for CBC Radio-Canada, CTV and
a number of American networks. She wrote editorials
in major Canadian papers, she was very active in
many organizations, including the Union des
artistes, the YMCA, Bushnell Communications, the
Canadian Institute on Public Affairs and the
Institut sur la recherche politique. In 1982,
Jeanne Sauvé decided to enter federal
politics. Once elected, she accepted the position
of Minister for Science and Technology, becoming
the first woman from Quebec to enter the federal
Cabinet. Later, she was appointed Minister of the
Environment and Minister of Communications. She was
recognized for her excellent management and
leadership skills. On April 14, 1980, she was
elected Speaker of the House of Commons, becoming
Parliament's first woman Speaker. She presided over
a number of contentious debates, including the
Repatriation of the Constitution of Canada in 1981
and the omnibus bill (legalization of
homosexuality) in 1982. While she was Speaker,
Jeanne Sauvé restructured the administrative
and financial management of the House of Commons.
Her term as Speaker ended on November 30, 1983,
after a long and tumultuous parliamentary session
of three and one-half years.
On December 23, 1983, she was
appointed the first woman Governor General of
Canada. She declared that it was an important
break-through for all the women of Canada. Her term
began on May 14, 1984. In addition to her official
duties, she argued for peace, national unity and
youth. She crisscrossed the country to promote
national unity and to make the Governor General's
role better known. For health reasons, she withdrew
from public life and used her time to create a
$10-million fund for youth. During her prestigious
career, Jeanne Sauvé was named Companion of
the Order of Canada and Commander of the Order of
Military Merit in 1984, member of the Most
Venerable Order of the Hospital of St. John of
Jérusalem and winner of the Canadian
Centennial Medal in 1967 and the Queen's Jubilee
Medal in 1977. On January 26, 1993, Jeanne
Sauvé died in Montreal.
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