Jean Augustine

Infobox CanadianMP | name=Hon. Jean Augustine


| term_start=1993
term_end=2006
predecessor= Patrick Boyer
birth_date= birth date and age | 1937|09|09
birth_place= St. George's, Grenada
successor=Michael Ignatieff
death_date=
death_place=
profession=School principal
party=Liberal
party colour=Liberal
residence=Toronto
riding=Etobicoke-Lakeshore
footnotes=
term_start2=
term_end2=
predecessor2=
successor2=
spouse=
religion=Roman Catholic|

Jean Augustine, PC, B.A., M.A., LL.D (born September 9, 1937 in St. George's, Grenada) is a former Canadian politician.

From 1993 to 2005 Augustine was a Liberal member of the Canadian House of Commons, representing the riding of Etobicoke—Lakeshore. She is a former member of Cabinet, and a former school principal. Augustine served as the Parliamentary Secretary to Prime Minister Jean Chrétien from 1994 to 1996, and was the Minister of State for multiculturalism, and the status of women until 2004.

Augustine was born in Grenada. Before entering politics, she was an elementary school principal with the Metropolitan Separate School Board in Toronto.

She has served on numerous Boards including the Board of Governors of York University, the Board of Trustees for The Hospital for Sick Children, the Board of Directors of the Donwood Institute, the Board of Harbourfront Corporation and Chair of the Metro Toronto Housing Authority. She was also National President of the Congress of Black Women of Canada.

In the 1993 federal election, Augustine became the first African Canadian woman elected to the Parliament of Canada and subsequently the first black woman in a federal Cabinet. She also served three terms as Chair of the National Liberal Women's Caucus.

In February 2002, Jean Augustine was elected Chair of the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Trade. On May 26, 2002 Jean Augustine was appointed Secretary of State (Multiculturalism) (Status of Women). In December 2003, she was re-appointed to the new Cabinet as Minister of State (Multiculturalism and Status of Women). In 2004, she was appointed to the position of Assistant Deputy Chairs of Committees of the Whole, making her the first African Canadian to occupy the Speaker's Chair in the Canadian House of Commons.

Augustine was the Founding Chair of the Canadian Association of Parliamentarians on Population & Development, Chair of the National Sugar Caucus, Chair of the Micro-credit Summit Council of Canadian Parliamentarians, Chair of the Canada-Slovenia Parliamentary Group and Chair of the Canada-Africa Parliamentary Group.

Jean Augustine holds a Bachelor of Arts, Master of Education and Honorary Doctor of Laws degrees from the University of Toronto.

Through fundraising efforts, Ms. Augustine supports the Jean Augustine Scholarship Fund, which assists single mothers to undertake post-secondary study at George Brown College.

She is the recipient of the YWCA Woman of Distinction Award, the Kaye Livingstone Award, the Ontario Volunteer Award, the Pride Newspaper Achievement Award, the Rubena Willis Special Recognition Award and the Toronto Lions' Club Onyx Award.

On November 28, 2005, Augustine announced her intention to retire and that she would not be a candidate in the 2006 Canadian election. She endorsed Liberal Michael Ignatieff to succeed her.

In 2007, Augustine was nominated by the Government of Ontario to become the first Fairness Commissioner, a position created to advocate for Canadians with foreign professional credentials. [http://toronto.ctv.ca/servlet/an/local/CTVNews/20070313/augustine_fairness_commissioner_070313/20070313?hub=TorontoHome]

External links

* [http://www.jeanaugustine.com/ Official website]
* [http://www.howdtheyvote.ca/member.php?id=13 How'd They Vote?: Jean Augustine's voting history and quotes]
* [http://www.parl.gc.ca/information/about/people/key/bio.asp?Language=E&query=15&s=F&md=1 Federal Political Biography from the Library of Parliament]

Persondata
NAME=Augustine, Jean
ALTERNATIVE NAMES=
SHORT DESCRIPTION=Canadian politician
DATE OF BIRTH=September 9, 1937
PLACE OF BIRTH=St. George's, Grenada
DATE OF DEATH=
PLACE OF DEATH=