- Judy Erola
Infobox_Politician
name = Judith Jacobson Erola
small| caption =
birth_date =January 16 ,1934
birth_place = Sudbury,Ontario
residence =
office = MPP forNickel Belt
term_start = 1980
term_end = 1984
predecessor =John Rodriguez
successor =John Rodriguez
party = Liberal Party
religion =
occupation = broadcaster, sales executiveJudith Erola, née Jacobson, PC (born
January 16 ,1934 in Sudbury,Ontario ) is a former Canadian politician, who represented the riding ofNickel Belt in theCanadian House of Commons from 1980 to 1984. She was a member of the Liberal Party.Broadcasting career
Prior to her career in politics, she worked as a radio and television broadcaster in Sudbury. At CKSO-TV, she made history as the first woman employed by a Canadian television station as a weather reporter, and also presented segments on
fashion [ [http://www.broadcasting-history.ca/listings_and_histories/television/histories.php?historyID=37&id=22 Canadian Communications Foundation - Fondation Des Communications Canadiennes ] ] . She later became an account executive for CHNO, and married Vic Erola, the owner of amarina onLake Panache .Politics
Following the death of her husband Vic in 1977, Erola decided to pursue a career in politics. She ran in the 1979 election as the Liberal candidate in Nickel Belt, losing to incumbent New Democrat
John Rodriguez .Erola defeated Rodriguez in the 1980 election, however, and was named to
Pierre Trudeau 's final cabinet, holding the positions of Minister of State for Mines, Minister of State for Social Development, Minister responsible for the Status of Women and Minister of Consumer and Corporate Affairs. She was also the first woman ever appointed to the cabinet's priorities and planning committee, which debates and decides on the direction of government policy.After Trudeau's retirement, Erola continued to serve in the cabinet of
John Turner . However, in the 1984 election, which saw the governing Liberals reduced to just 40 seats, Erola was defeated, again by Rodriguez.Post-political career
In 1987, Erola became president of the
Pharmaceutical Manufacturers' Association of Canada , a position she held until her retirement in 1998. She was an ex officio delegate to theLiberal Party of Canada leadership convention, 2006 , where she supportedStéphane Dion .She is currently on the board of
Equal Voice , an organization which seeks to assist Canadian women in running for political office.References
External links
* [http://www.broadcasting-history.ca/personalities/personalities.php?id=43 A biography of Judy Erola from the Canadian Communications Foundation]
*
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
