Dorothea Crittenden (30 April 1915 – 6 December 2008) was a Canadian deputy minister for the

Ministry of Community and Social Services The Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services is the ministry in Ontario, Canada responsible for services to children and youth, social services such as Welfare (financial aid), welfare, the Ontario Disability Support Program, and communi ...

from 1974 to 1978. With this position, Crittenden was the first female in Ontario to become a deputy minister. Before her deputy position, Crittenden was with the Department of Public Welfare where she helped with the creation of the General Welfare Assistance Act for Ontario and the

Canada Assistance Plan The Canada Assistance Plan (CAP) (french: Régime d'assistance publique du Canada) was a financing program created in 1966 by the Pearson government. The CAP consisted of a cost-sharing arrangement between the federal government and provinces, te ...

between the 1950s and 1960s. After leaving the ministry, Crittenden was the first female to become chair of the

Ontario Human Rights Commission The Ontario Human Rights Commission (OHRC) was established in the Canadian province of Ontario on March 29, 1961, to administer the Ontario Human Rights Code. The OHRC is an arm's length agency of government accountable to the legislature through ...

from 1978 to 1981. Between the 1980s and 1990s, Crittenden worked for the Ontario Nursing Home Complaints Committee as their chair and was a government consultant.

Early life and education

Crittenden was born on 30 April 1915 in

Blyth, Ontario Not to be confused with the Town of Blyth, England. Blyth is a village in North Huron, Huron County, Ontario, Canada. Blyth is north of London and west of Waterloo at the intersection of Huron County Road 4 (London Road) and Huron Cou ...

. During her childhood, Crittenden worked as a babysitter throughout the

Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...

and lived with her parents in St. Thomas, Ontario. For her education, Crittenden went to

London Normal School The London Normal School is an Ontario Heritage building located at 165 Elmwood Avenue in the Wortley Village neighbourhood of London, Ontario, Canada. It is a prominent and recognizable landmark in the Old South/Wortley Village neighbourhood. It ...

for

teacher training Teacher education or teacher training refers to programs, policies, procedures, and provision designed to equip (prospective) teachers with the knowledge, attitudes, behaviors, approaches, methodologies and skills they require to perform their t ...

. During the 1930s, Crittenden attended

Alma College Alma College is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Alma, Michigan. It enrolls approximately 1,400 students and is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. Alma College is affiliat ...

for secretarial courses and studied

social science Social science is one of the branches of science, devoted to the study of societies and the relationships among individuals within those societies. The term was formerly used to refer to the field of sociology, the original "science of soc ...

at the

University of Toronto The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution ...

Career

Early career and government positions

In 1932, Crittenden went to

Dryden, Ontario Dryden, originally known as New Prospect, is the second-largest city in the Kenora District of Northwestern Ontario, Canada, located on Wabigoon Lake. It is the least populous community in Ontario incorporated as a city. The City of Dryden had a ...

, and worked as a teacher. As a

mail order Mail order is the buying of goods or services by mail delivery. The buyer places an order for the desired products with the merchant through some remote methods such as: * Sending an order form in the mail * Placing a telephone call * Placing a ...

employee, Crittenden held a summer job with

Eaton's The T. Eaton Company Limited, later known as Eaton's, was a Canadian department store chain that was once the largest in the country. It was founded in 1869 in Toronto by Timothy Eaton, an immigrant from what is now Northern Ireland. Eaton's grew ...

during the early 1930s. In 1937, Crittenden joined the

Department of Public Welfare Department may refer to: * Departmentalization, division of a larger organization into parts with specific responsibility Government and military *Department (administrative division), a geographical and administrative division within a country, ...

section of the

Government of Ontario The government of Ontario (french: Gouvernement de l'Ontario) is the body responsible for the administration of the Canadian province of Ontario. A constitutional monarchy, the Crown—represented in the province by the lieutenant governor� ...

. At the beginning of her governmental career, Crittenden held administrative positions before becoming a

statistician A statistician is a person who works with theoretical or applied statistics. The profession exists in both the private and public sectors. It is common to combine statistical knowledge with expertise in other subjects, and statisticians may wor ...

. After becoming the first female personnel director for Ontario at the start of the 1950s, Crittenden was hired as an executive assistant at the end of the 1950s. Between the 1950s and 1960s, Crittenden helped create the General Welfare Assistance Act for the province of Ontario and the

. Between 1967 and 1974, Crittenden worked as an assistant deputy minister. For six years during this period, the Department of Public Welfare was known as the Department of Social and Family Services before becoming the Ministry of Community and Social Services. Crittenden worked in finance while in her assistant deputy minister position before becoming deputy minister in 1974. Upon holding this position for the Community and Social Services ministry, Crittenden became the first female in Ontario to become a deputy minister. While starting her tenure, Crittenden decided to drive an

Oldsmobile Oldsmobile or formally the Oldsmobile Division of General Motors was a brand of American automobiles, produced for most of its existence by General Motors. Originally established as "Olds Motor Vehicle Company" by Ransom E. Olds in 1897, it produ ...

while working for half a year instead of an

executive car Executive car is a British term for a large car which is equivalent to the European E-segment and American full-size classifications. Executive cars are larger than compact executive cars (and the non-luxury equivalent mid-size cars), and small ...

. By the end of her deputy minister position in 1978, Crittenden was the only woman to hold this role for Ontario.

Human rights and other positions

In January 1978, Crittenden was the first female chosen by the

to become their chair. She was selected to replace Thomas Symons. Before becoming part of the OHRC, Crittenden had planned to continue her career in

civil service The civil service is a collective term for a sector of government composed mainly of career civil servants hired on professional merit rather than appointed or elected, whose institutional tenure typically survives transitions of political leaders ...

and leave her deputy minister position. Upon the announcement, Bruce McLeod left the OHRC upon Crittenden's hiring. McLeod and

Stephen Lewis Stephen Henry Lewis (born November 11, 1937) is a Canadian politician, public speaker, broadcaster, and diplomat. He was the leader of the social democratic Ontario New Democratic Party for most of the 1970s. During many of those years as leade ...

believed Crittenden was "a low-profile career civil servant" and should have not been selected. While working as the commission's chair in February 1978, Crittenden opined that reactions to the

murder of Emanuel Jaques Emanuel Jaques (October 8, 1964 – July 29, 1977) was a Canadian 12-year-old boy who was murdered in Toronto. The sexual assault and murder of Jaques sparked outrage in Toronto, resulting in the conviction of three men: Saul David Betesh, Robert ...

would prevent the public from agreeing to make discrimination against homosexuals illegal under the

Ontario Human Rights Code The Human Rights Code is a statute in the Canadian province of Ontario that guarantees equality before the law and prohibits discrimination in specific social areas such as housing or employment. The code's goal specifically prohibits discrimina ...

. Crittenden also said adding rights for homosexuals under the code could be revisited in the future. When a 1980 affirmative action Ontario Human Rights Code policy to address

employment discrimination Employment discrimination is a form of illegal discrimination in the workplace based on legally protected characteristics. In the U.S., federal anti-discrimination law prohibits discrimination by employers against employees based on age, race, g ...

against

minority groups The term 'minority group' has different usages depending on the context. According to its common usage, a minority group can simply be understood in terms of demographic sizes within a population: i.e. a group in society with the least number o ...

was created, Crittenden stated that a "quota system is the simplest way to correct past discrimination, but not necessarily the fairest". Crittenden remained in her executive position with the OHRC until 1981. After leaving the OHRC, Crittenden was a government consultant for the province from the 1980s to 1990s, while also working for the Ontario Nursing Home Complaints Committee as their chair. Her committee released a summary of findings in 1986 on visits to over 180 Ontarian nursing homes.

Death

Crittenden died on 6 December 2008 in Toronto.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Crittenden, Dorothea 1915 births 2008 deaths Ontario civil servants Women in Ontario politics