IN THE NEWS
Navember 14, 2004

Ellen Fairclough, 99
Canadian Press

Hamilton — Canada's first female cabinet minister is dead at 99.
The family of the Ellen Fairclough said the pioneering politician died peacefully in a Hamilton nursing home at about 5 p.m. Saturday. Her health had been failing for several years and she had fallen gravely ill on Thursday night.

“She was a great lady, full of wit and charm,” her niece Dr. Joan Heels said Sunday.
Dr. Heels, who'd visited Ms. Fairclough on Saturday morning, said her aunt was just two months shy of her centennial.

“I was secretly hoping that Ellen would make it to her 100th, but I guess when the time comes, the time comes.”

Ms. Fairclough was a trailblazer, clearing the path for many female politicians who followed her.

She served on Hamilton city council for five years before she was elected to Parliament as Conservative MP for Hamilton West in a 1950 by-election. She was the only female MP in the House of Commons until she was joined by three more in the 1953 election.
In the first minority government of prime minister John Diefenbaker in 1957, she was named secretary of state, the first woman to hold a federal cabinet post. When the Diefenbaker government was re-elected a year later with a majority, she was appointed minister of citizenship and immigration.

She was appointed postmaster-general in 1962, and defeated in the 1963 election.
Ms. Fairclough, an accountant between 1935 and 1957, served on the boards of many agencies, foundations and charities and received numerous honours, including being named to the Order of Canada in 1980.

She never really spoke about whether her gender mattered in politics. She once said, however, that, “If a male member of Parliament says anything foolish it is forgotten the next day, but if a woman does it, it is repeated endlessly, right across the country.”
Conservative Party Leader Stephen Harper expressed his condolences from Ottawa on Sunday, noting Ms. Fairclough's contribution to eliminating racial discrimination from Canada's immigration policy.

“In her professional, voluntary and political life, Ellen Fairclough was a pioneer, trail-blazer and role model,” he said in a statement.
“Ms. Fairclough devoted her life to public service and the advancement of Canadian values,” he added. “She will be remembered as an activist and humanitarian and for her enduring commitment to Canada.”

Ms. Fairclough was predeceased by her husband Gordon and son Howard. The funeral will be private.

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