Sauvé, Jeanne, 1922-1993 : Governor General Speaker of the House of Commons Minister Journalist
Born in Prud'homme, Saskatchewan, on 26 April 1922, Jeanne (Benoît) Sauvé studied at Notre Dame du Rosaire college in Ottawa, the University of Ottawa, and the University of Paris, where in 1952 she received a degree in French Civilization. From 1942 to 1947, she was national president of the Jeunesse Étudiante Catholique movement and founded the Fédération du Mouvement Jeunesse Québec.
She married the Honourable Maurice Sauvé in 1948. She spent the years 1948-1950 in England, where she studied Economics in London while teaching French for the London County Council.
In 1950-1951, she occupied the position of assistant to the director of UNESCO's Youth Secretariat. In 1952, she embarked on her public career as a journalist, host and commentator for both the French and English services of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation with such programs as "Les années 1980", "Trans-Canada Matinée", "Opinions", "Femmes d'aujourd'hui" and "Assignment Resources". She was also a contributor to the CTV national network and the NBC and CBS networks in the U.S. In 1961, Jeanne Sauvé was elected to the board of the Union des artistes in Montreal, and she served as its vice-president from 1968 to 1970.
In tandem with her occupation as a journalist, she took an interest in public affairs, lecturing in Canada and the U.S. She served as general secretary to the Fédération des auteurs et artistes du Canada from 1966 to 1972, attending in the latter year a Moscow Congress of film and television writers. From 1970 to 1972, Jeanne Sauvé wrote editorials for the Montreal Star and Toronto Star newspapers. She was one of the founding members of the Institute for Research on Public Policy.
Elected as member of Parliament for the Montreal riding of Ahuntsic on 30 October 1972, she was re-elected in July 1974, May 1979, and February 1980 in the Montreal-area riding of Laval-des-Rapides. During this time, she held the Cabinet portfolios of Science and Technology (1972-1974), the Environment (1974-1975), and Communications (1975-1979). In November 1978, she was the Francophone Advisor to the Minister of External Affairs. In the official Opposition, she chaired the Parliamentary Communications Committee and acted as Opposition communications critic.
On 14 April 1980, Jeanne Sauvé became the first woman speaker of the House of Commons and on 14 May 1984, the first woman Governor General and Commander-in-Chief of Canada. In 1988, she founded and headed the Jeanne Sauvé Foundation for youth. In the course of her career, she received many decorations from cultural and government institutions in Canada and outside the country. She was made Chancellor and Companion of the Order of Canada and Commander of the Order of Military Merit. Jeanne Sauvé died on 26 January 1993, at age 71.
