Ladies, upstairs! : my life in politics and after / Monique Bégin.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Bégin, Monique, author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Bégin, Monique, 1936-.

Bégin, Monique.

Cabinet officers--Canada--Biography.

Cabinet officers.

Canada--Politics and government--1963-1984.

Canada.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (553 pages) : illustrations

Place of Publication:

Montréal, Québec : McGill-Queen's University Press, [2018]

Summary:

The intriguing memoir of a fish out of water in Pierre Trudeau's cabinet.-- More than fifty years after most Canadian women received the right to vote, very few women were elected as members of Parliament and none came from Quebec. Canada's 1972 federal election marked a refreshing transition. Twice as many female candidates ran for office than in the previous election, and, of the five women elected to the House of Commons that year, three Liberal Party candidates - Monique Bégin, Albanie Morin, and Jeanne Sauvé - shared the honour of being the first Quebec women MPs. In this riveting memoir of a trailblazing female politician, Monique Bégin tells the story of her journey into politics and beyond. Born in Italy, Bégin spent her childhood in France and Portugal before arriving in Montreal as a refugee of the Second World War. In 1967, she was swept into the world of politics when she became executive secretary of the Royal Commission on the Status of Women. Inspired by Pierre Trudeau, she then ran for the House of Commons and served in various cabinet positions, ultimately spearheading the landmark Canada Health Act before retiring to pursue a career in academia. Offering a revealing glimpse into the pervading sexism of Canadian public life, Ladies, Upstairs! details the experiences of a feisty, candid outsider who, through sheer fortitude, intelligence, and hard work, became minister of health and welfare, a university dean, a sought-after member for commissions of inquiry, and an international expert on public health. The voice of a woman in a male world, a francophone among anglophones, and a skeptical politician, Ladies, Upstairs! provides a fascinating account of one of Canada's most impressive federal ministers and her discoveries through the decades.

Contents:

Foreward / Bob Rae

Prologue

Illustrations to follow pages x and 300

Part I: Beginnings. From Europe to Canada: Life as a refugee

The love of learning

Sociology here and abroad

Working and getting involved: Thérèse Casgrain

Executive secretary of a national royal commission

Part II: Life as a politician. Going into politics, me?

The house of commons: A strange universe

Parliamentary secretary for eleven months

Minister or not? National revenue

Part III: The biggest department. National health and welfare: The medical research council

Social policies: The child tax credit and pensions

Aboriginal health: Inuit and First Nations

The Canada health act

Under the microscope: A few very public files

Part IV: Working with Pierre Trudeau. The first Quebec referendum

Trudeau's two departures

"The boss"

Part V: Becoming an academic. A visiting professor: Notre Dame and McGill

Four years in women's studies (unearthing womens' health)

Dean of the new faculty of health sciences

Visiting professor health administration: Insolent thoughts about universities

An Ontario report on education and two international commissions

Conclusion

Acknowledgments

Index.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Description based on print version record.

ISBN:

9780773555846

0773555846

9780773555839

0773555838