Jean Casselman Wadds

Jean Casselman Wadds (born September 16, 1920 in Newton Robinson, Ontario) is a former Canadian politician, who represented the electoral district of Grenville—Dundas from 1958 to 1968. She sat as a member of the Progressive Conservative Party.

She was the daughter of William Earl Rowe; Wadds and Rowe are, to date, the only father and daughter to sit as MPs in the same session of Parliament.

In 1946, she married Arza Clair Casselman, who represented Grenville—Dundas in the House of Commons until his death in 1958, and she was elected to the same seat later that year.

Wadds served as parliamentary secretary to the Minister of Health and Welfare in 1962 and 1963. She was the first woman to serve as a parliamentary secretary in the Canadian government.

In 1979, Wadds was appointed Canada's High Commissioner to the United Kingdom. She served in this capacity until 1983.

In 1982, she was made an Officer of the Order of Canada for carrying "out her duties with great competence and conscientiousness, particularly during the period of the patriation of the Constitution". [http://www.gg.ca/honours/search-recherche/honours-desc.asp?lang=e&TypeID=orc&id=1728]

For many years Wadds sat on the Board of Grenville Christian College during the period that Father Charles Farnsworth was headmaster. The former Canadian private school is now the subject of an Ontario Provincial Police criminal investigation, an Anglican Church investigation and a class action lawsuit. Widespread child abuse has been alleged in the media where it has also been alleged that the school was operated as a mind control cult.

Wadds currently sits on the Board of Reference of the Gloria Dei Cantores choir, which is the choir of the Community of Jesus in Orleans, Massachusetts. The Community of Jesus has been labeled a cult in the US media.

External links

* [http://www.parl.gc.ca/information/about/people/key/bio.asp?query=1792&s=F&Language=E Synopsis of federal political experience from the Library of Parliament]