Isabel Pearl Dawson (October 13, 1917 – April 9, 1982) was a political figure in

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

, Canada. She represented

Mackenzie Mackenzie, Mckenzie, MacKenzie, or McKenzie may refer to: People * Mackenzie (given name), a given name (including a list of people with the name) * Mackenzie (surname), a surname (including a list of people with the name) * Clan Mackenzie, a S ...

in the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia from 1966 to 1972 as a

Social Credit Social credit is a distributive philosophy of political economy developed by C. H. Douglas. Douglas attributed economic downturns to discrepancies between the cost of goods and the compensation of the workers who made them. To combat what he ...

member. She was born Isabel Pearl Saunders in

Camrose, Alberta Camrose ( ) is a city in central Alberta, Canada that is surrounded by Camrose County. Located along Highway 13 it had its beginnings as a railroad hub. History The area around Camrose was first settled by Europeans around 1900. At that time t ...

, the daughter of John David Saunders, and was educated there and in

Princeton, British Columbia Princeton (originally Vermilion Forks) is a town in the Similkameen region of southern British Columbia, Canada."The rich history of Princeton or how Vermilion Forks made it on the map...", Princeton 2008 Visitors Guide, p. 4. It lies just east o ...

and

Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...

. She served in the

Canadian Women's Army Corps The Canadian Women's Army Corps was a non-combatant branch of the Canadian Army for women, established during the Second World War, with the purpose of releasing men from those non-combatant roles in the Canadian armed forces as part of expanding ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

. She married Charles John Dawson. Dawson served in the provincial cabinet as a minister without portfolio. She was defeated by

Don Lockstead Donald Frederick Lockstead (November 21, 1931 – April 13, 1998) was a plant superintendent and political figure in British Columbia. He represented Mackenzie from 1972 to 1986 as a New Democrat. He was born in Leduc, Alberta, the son of D ...

when she ran for reelection to the provincial assembly in 1972. After leaving politics, Dawson earned a degree in psychology from the

University of Victoria The University of Victoria (UVic or Victoria) is a public research university located in the municipalities of Oak Bay and Saanich, British Columbia, Canada. The university traces its roots to Victoria College, the first post-secondary insti ...

and an MSc in gerontology from the

University of Oregon The University of Oregon (UO, U of O or Oregon) is a public research university in Eugene, Oregon. Founded in 1876, the institution is well known for its strong ties to the sports apparel and marketing firm Nike, Inc, and its co-founder, billion ...

. In 1974, she moved to

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

from Powell River. Dawson died of cancer at the age of 64. The Isabel Dawson building at

Camosun College Camosun College is a public college located in Saanich, British Columbia, Canada. The college has two campuses, Lansdowne and Interurban, with a total enrollment of around 14,000 students (including Professional Studies and Industry Training) ...

is named in her honour.

References

1917 births 1982 deaths British Columbia Social Credit Party MLAs Canadian Military Engineers Women government ministers of Canada Canadian women in World War II Deaths from cancer in British Columbia Canadian gerontologists Members of the Executive Council of British Columbia People from Camrose, Alberta University of Oregon alumni University of Victoria alumni Canadian female military personnel Women MLAs in British Columbia 20th-century Canadian politicians 20th-century Canadian women politicians {{BritishColumbia-MLA-stub