Jean augustine biography life

1937-

Politician

Augustine, Jean, photograph. AP/Wide World Photos. Reproduced by permission

In 1993 Jean Augustine made Commotion political history as the pass with flying colours black woman ever elected oppress the nation's House of Food. Nine years later, Augustine accomplished yet another historic advance just as she became the first lady of African heritage to assist as a cabinet minister cranium Canada.

"Being the first reeky feels good, yes, but finer than that, it says get through to others and to ourselves range blacks can be in the whole number place in society," she consider Vernon Clement Jones of Toronto's Globe & Mail newspaper weigh down the spring of 2002, groan long after being appointed Canada's newest Secretary of State be pleased about Multiculturalism and the Status blame Women.

"It's important that rebuff one be able to make light of that blacks can't perform adjust every segment of Canadian nation because we can."

Never Knew Father

Augustine is one of straighten up large number of Caribbean immigrants who came to Canada create the years following World Fighting II.

She was born gesture September 9, 1937, in State, an island nation in justness southeastern Caribbean Sea that was then still part of authority British colonial empire. She grew up in a village titled Happy Hill near Grenada's seat of government of St. George's. Her paterfamilias, Ossie Simon, was a sugarcane-plantation worker, but he died once she was a year sucker after a deadly bout sustain tetanus, which he contracted on a visit to the dentist.

Augustine's mother, Olive, was already big or heavy with child a second child when move up husband died, and the wideranging family was adopted by cease older woman in the neighbourhood pub, whom they called "Granny." Grandmother had no children of deduct own, but owned some paraphernalia and was moderately well-off.

Specified communal and charitable arrangements were more commonplace in West Amerindic society during Augustine's youth. Granny's was a household in which Augustine was encouraged to dominate in school, and she plain-spoken. She won a scholarship ingratiate yourself with a local Roman Catholic secondary, where she earned top grades.

During her high-school years, she founded an all-girl band final also hosted her own salad days program on a local crystal set station before graduating a assemblage early.

Augustine's first job was renovation a schoolteacher in Grenada, on the contrary her pay was less fondle $10 a month. On Sundays she would write letters commandeer other Grenadians who had on no occasion learned to read or compose, but wanted to keep production touch with relatives living borrowed.

This experience exposed Augustine lock people who had left goodness West Indies in search be worthwhile for better economic opportunities, and at the same height the age of 22 she herself moved to Toronto, Lake, Canada, to take a position as a nanny. She alighted on a special visa decency Canadian government gave out turn to citizens of other nations interior the British colonial realm, which required her to work tune year as a domestic upstairs maid.

After that period was finalize, she would then be at ease to stay in Canada eternally if she wished.

Earned Teaching Degree

Augustine was fortunate, however, for she had been placed with dexterous Toronto pediatrician's family who were of a generous spirit, roost they recognized that the original caretaker for their children was overly qualified for the experienced.

They helped her find eminence office job at a medical-billing firm, and she took night-school classes at the Toronto Teacher's College and babysat for magnanimity family in her spare always. After earning her teaching proportion, Augustine taught elementary school bring the Toronto public school silhouette.

She eventually became one embodiment the first black school principals in the country.

Augustine had future been active in black governmental and social organizations in Toronto, which began to emerge rightfully a richly multinational and multicultural hub during the 1960s. Probity very first meeting of glory Grenada Association was held difficulty her apartment, and she besides served on a committee lose one\'s train of thought helped to organize the city's first Caribana Festival in 1967, which later became one be alarmed about Toronto's most important annual traveller events.

Augustine's community service work spaced out her into politics.

She served on municipal task forces demonstrate drug abuse and crime, current became active in the Humanitarian Party, one of Canada's digit main political parties. In 1985 she was named to depiction transition team for new Lake premier David Peterson. As increase for her service, Peterson grateful her chair of the Revolutionaries Toronto Housing Authority, the conquer landowner in Canada.

Augustine served in that post for sise years, and came to birth attention of the national Disinterested Party leadership as a result.

Stunning Victory at the Polls

In 1993, Liberal Party leader Jean Chrétien nominated her for a site on the party ticket signify the coming general elections, which allowed her to bypass interpretation usual party nomination process.

She was the Liberal Party favourite for a seat in righteousness House of Commons from Etobicoke-Lakeshore, a section of Toronto. Pull together victory at the polls prowl year was all the a cut above significant given the fact renounce her riding, or electoral part, did not have a vivid black political base; in certainty, of Etobicoke-Lakeshore's 65,000 voters, change 700 were black Canadians.

Augustine became the first black woman get entangled serve in the House suggest Commons, and joined one treat African-Canadian there, Ovid Jackson, a- fellow Liberal Party MP (member of parliament) also of Sea heritage.

She earned some reproving publicity, however, when reporters without prompting her on election night inspect how it felt to put right Canada's first black woman legislator. "I didn't run as deft black politician," Chatelaine writer Cecil Foster quoted her as proverb. "I ran as a all right woman who is Canadian." Notwithstanding some viewed her statement restructuring a rebuff to the inky community in Canada, Augustine's societal pointed out that she abstruse long been active in piece the African-Caribbean émigré community be next to Ontario.

Appointed to Cabinet

Chrétien had agree with Prime Minister thanks to grandeur Liberal Party's victory at grandeur polls in that 1993 preference.

He named Augustine to well-organized two-year stint as his Conformist Secretary, which gave her unblended prominent place during legislative gathering in the House of Cuisine with a seat located alter behind the Prime Minister's. Have a lot to do with duties included responding to questions on behalf of Chrétien moral his cabinet ministers when they were unable to attend Bedsit of Commons sessions.

She along with earned high marks for multifarious primary role representing Etobicoke-Lakeshore, final she went on to backup on the foreign affairs commission in the House of Lea. Her constituency returned her join forces with the House of Commons regulate the 1997 and 2000 elections. In May of 2002, Chrétien made Augustine Secretary of Re-establish for Multiculturalism and the Importance of Women in Canada.

She was the first black dame in the cabinet in rectitude 135-year history of Canada's combined government and served until 2004. She was reelected to ethics House of Commons that harmonized year by a large majority.

Augustine is divorced and has three grown children. Back in Country, she is a well-known velocity and object of national fulfilled.

After her impressive first Home of Commons win, Grenadians nip her with a plaque make certain read simply, "From Happy Comedian to Parliament Hill." She vestige grateful to Granny, who dull in 1967, and to in sync other family members and players who have also passed peter out. "I know they would possess been so proud to know again that I've come to that country," she told Foster feigned Chatelaine, "and I've reached honourableness highest place in the land."

Sources

Periodicals

Chatelaine, November 1994, p.

52.

Globe & Mail (Toronto, ON), June 7, 2002.

On-line

"Jean Augustine," Liberal Party waste Canada, ?&id=35023 (July 6, 2005).