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| Affiliation | Liberal |
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| Name | Jeanne Sauvé |
| Email | None |
| Website | None |
| Born |
April 26, 1922
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| Died | January 26, 1993
(70 years)
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| Contributor | Monsieur |
| Last Modifed | Juan Croniqueur
Apr 13, 2025 08:57pm |
| Tags |
French - Cancer - Order of Canada -
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| Info | Jeanne Mathilde Benoît Sauvé, PC, CC, CMM, CD, LL.D was a Canadian journalist, politician and stateswoman. She was the first woman in Canadian history to become Governor General.
Sauvé was born in the Fransaskois community of Prud'homme, Saskatchewan. She studied at Notre Dame du Rosaire Convent in Ottawa and at the University of Ottawa. She was actively involved in student and political affairs, and became the national president of the Young Catholic Students Group at the age of 20.
On September 24, 1948, she married Maurice Sauvé. Later that year, they moved to Europe, where she earned a diploma in French civilization at the Université de Paris. The couple had one child. Sauvé was a founding member of the Institute of Political Research and for over 20 years had a distinguished career as a journalist and broadcaster with the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.
She was elected Liberal MP from Montreal in 1972, becoming the first woman cabinet member from Quebec as Minister of State for Science and Technology under Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau. She was re-elected in July 1974 and given the environment portfolio. In 1975, she was appointed Minister of Communications with responsibility for French-speaking countries in the Department of External Affairs. She also opened the first daycare on Parliament Hill.
In 1980 Trudeau appointed her as the first woman Speaker of the House of Commons. As well as presiding over debate, the Speaker of the House of Commons is also responsible for managing expenses and staff. As Speaker she implemented reforms to professionalize the management of the House.
She presided over debates on the Canadian Constitution dealing with filibusters and numerous points of order. She was also Speaker during an Opposition campaign against the Energy Security Act, which culminated in a two-week bell-ringing episode when the Official Opposition's Whip refused to appear on the floor of the Commons to indicate the Opposition was ready for a vote. Despite pressure by the government that she intervene to resolve the deadlock she maintained that it was up to the parties to resolve it themselves through negotiation.
In the winter of 1983, Prime Minister Trudeau announced her appointment as Governor General.
Sauvé had been a long-time sufferer from cancer. In the weeks leading to her inauguration she unexpectedly became ill, and nearly died in the hospital. She made a surprising recovery, however, and was ultimately able to be sworn in on May 14, 1984 without delay.
Sauvé was a staunch advocate of issues surrounding youth and world peace, and the dove of peace is one of the elements incorporated into Sauvé's coat-of-arms. Long before her vice-regal mandate, she worked as assistant to the Director of the Youth Secretariat of UNESCO, served as Secretary of the Canadian Committee for the World Assembly of Youth, and initiated and hosted a discussion show for youth. At the end of her mandate, she established the Jeanne Sauvé Youth Foundation.
Sauvé's concern for youth and peace were two of the three central themes of her mandate – the third was national unity. She travelled extensively, making her role as Governor General – a largely symbolic office – accessible to all Canadians. In her installation speech, she spoke about the need for Canadians to forgo a narrow sense of their nation and become more tolerant.
Sauvé and her love of education and co-existence between French- and English-speaking Canadians led for the first French immersion school in western Canada to be founded in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The school was aptly named Collège Jeanne-Sauvé.
During her term as Governor General, Sauvé made state visits to Italy, the Vatican, the People's Republic of China, Thailand, France, Uruguay and Brazil.
After completing her term of office as Governor General in 1990, Sauvé retired to Montreal, where she worked to forward the interests of the Jeanne Sauvé Youth Foundation.
She died of cancer on January 26, 1993, aged 70, after a long battle; her husband had died the previous year.
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