Human Rights A Day

Canada’s first woman federal cabinet minister completes her first portfolio.Ellen Fairclough was born in Hamilton, Ontario on January 28, 1905. As an adult she ran her own accountancy business for 22 years, held prominent positions on charitable boards and sat as a city councillor. In 1950, she ventured into federal politics by winning a by-election for the federal seat of Hamilton West. As a Progressive Conservative, she sat on the Opposition benches until John Diefenbaker became prime minister in 1957. Diefenbaker had pledged to put a woman into cabinet, but he considered Fairclough an “enemy” as she had supported another candidate for the leadership of the party years earlier. Still, in keeping with his promise, he offered Fairclough the junior cabinet post of secretary of state. She almost turned him down. However, at the insistence of a friend, she took the post on June 21, 1957, becoming the first woman in federal politics to sit at the cabinet table. Being the hard worker with political smarts she was,