Christine Susan Stewart, (January 3, 1941 – April 25, 2015) was a
Canadian
Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...
politician.
She served three terms as a
Liberal Party
The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left.
__TOC__ Active liberal parties
This is a li ...
Member of Parliament for the riding of
Northumberland
Northumberland () is a county in Northern England, one of two counties in England which border with Scotland. Notable landmarks in the county include Alnwick Castle, Bamburgh Castle, Hadrian's Wall and Hexham Abbey.
It is bordered by land ...
in Ontario. During her career she held the cabinet positions of Secretary of State for Latin America and Africa, and Minister of the Environment.
Early life and education
Stewart earned a degree in
nursing
Nursing is a profession within the health care sector focused on the care of individuals, families, and communities so they may attain, maintain, or recover optimal health and quality of life. Nurses may be differentiated from other health ...
(BScN) from the
University of Toronto
The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public university, public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park (Toronto), Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 ...
.
Career
Stewart practised nursing for a short time before becoming involved in international development work first as a volunteer with her husband in
Honduras in 1971-72. She co-founded a non-government organization, Horizons of Friendship,
of which she was co-executive director until 1988. She raised her family of three children, served as a school board trustee and on several community church, social and arts bodies in
Cobourg, Ontario
Cobourg ( ) is a town in the Canadian province of Ontario, located in Southern Ontario east of Toronto and east of Oshawa. It is the largest town in and seat of Northumberland County. Its nearest neighbour is Port Hope, to the west. It is ...
.
She was first elected to the
House of Commons of Canada as an Opposition member by a margin of 27 votes in
1988
File:1988 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The oil platform Piper Alpha explodes and collapses in the North Sea, killing 165 workers; The USS Vincennes (CG-49) mistakenly shoots down Iran Air Flight 655; Australia celebrates its Bicenten ...
,
following Conservative
George Hees
George Harris Hees (June 17, 1910 – June 11, 1996) was a Canadian politician and businessman.
Background
Born in Toronto, Hees earned a playboy image during his youth (nicknamed Gorgeous George), but then became a stalwart member of the Prog ...
. During that term she was assigned the job of development assistance critic.
Stewart was elected twice more in
1993
File:1993 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Oslo I Accord is signed in an attempt to resolve the Israeli–Palestinian conflict; The Russian White House is shelled during the 1993 Russian constitutional crisis; Czechoslovakia is peacefu ...
and
1997
File:1997 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The movie set of ''Titanic'', the highest-grossing movie in history at the time; '' Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone'', is published; Comet Hale-Bopp passes by Earth and becomes one of ...
with substantive majorities
and served in the cabinet of prime minister
Jean Chrétien first as
Secretary of State (Latin America and Africa) from 1993 to 1997, and then as
Minister of the Environment
An environment minister (sometimes minister of the environment or secretary of the environment) is a cabinet position charged with protecting the natural environment and promoting wildlife conservation. The areas associated with the duties of an ...
from 1997 to 1999.
She announced her resignation from politics for personal reasons before the election of 2000.
As Secretary of State, Latin America and Africa,
she made official visits to most countries on those continents. For many of these countries, including some who had been receiving Canadian development assistance for years, it was the first visit by a
Canadian
Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...
minister.
As Minister of the Environment, Stewart headed the Canadian delegation to the Kyoto climate change negotiations and signed the
Kyoto Accord
The Kyoto Protocol was an international treaty which extended the 1992 United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) that commits state parties to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, based on the scientific consensus that (pa ...
on behalf of Canada. She pushed for action on the Kyoto Accord, improvements in the ''
Canadian Environmental Protection Act
The ''Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999'' (''CEPA, 1999''; french: Loi canadienne sur la protection de l'environnement (1999)) is an act of the 36th Parliament of Canada, whose goal is to contribute to sustainable development through po ...
'', the ''
Species at Risk Act
The ''Species at Risk Act'' (SARA) (the ''Act'') is a piece of Canadian federal legislation which became law in Canada on December 12, 2002. It is designed to meet one of Canada's key commitments under the International Convention on Biological D ...
'', and the ''
Canadian Environmental Assessment Act
The ''Canadian Environmental Assessment Act, 2012'' (CEAA 2012) (the ''Act'') and its regulations established the legislative basis for the federal practice of environmental assessment in most regions of Canada from 2012 to 2019. It was repealed w ...
''. However, she also fueled the fires of
climate change deniers when, in 1998 she told editors and reporters of the
Calgary Herald, "No matter if the science of global warming is all phony…climate change
rovidesthe greatest opportunity to bring about justice and equality in the world."
After leaving Canadian politics, Stewart acted as special envoy to
Cameroon
Cameroon (; french: Cameroun, ff, Kamerun), officially the Republic of Cameroon (french: République du Cameroun, links=no), is a country in west-central Africa. It is bordered by Nigeria to the west and north; Chad to the northeast; the C ...
for the
Commonwealth Secretary General until 2006 and continued her interest in addressing social issues in her community and work on good governance internationally.
She died on April 25, 2015.
"Former MP for Northumberland Christine Stewart dies"
Apr 26, 2015, by Karen Longwell ''Northumberland News''
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Stewart, Christine
1941 births
2015 deaths
Women government ministers of Canada
Women members of the House of Commons of Canada
Liberal Party of Canada MPs
Members of the 26th Canadian Ministry
Members of the House of Commons of Canada from Ontario
Members of the King's Privy Council for Canada
Politicians from Hamilton, Ontario
University of Toronto alumni
Women in Ontario politics
21st-century Canadian women politicians
20th-century Canadian women politicians