Isobel Finnerty (née Church; July 15, 1930 – October 3, 2016) was a Canadian

Senator A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

. She was appointed to the Senate in 1999 by

Jean Chrétien Joseph Jacques Jean Chrétien (; born January 11, 1934) is a Canadian lawyer and politician who served as the 20th prime minister of Canada from 1993 to 2003. Born and raised in Shawinigan Falls, Quebec, Chrétien is a law graduate from Uni ...

, and was a member of the

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 ...

. Finnerty retired from the Senate on July 15, 2005 upon reaching the chamber's mandatory retirement age of 75. Before being appointed to the Senate, Finnerty was a medical secretary and

community organizer Community organizing is a process where people who live in proximity to each other or share some common problem come together into an organization that acts in their shared self-interest. Unlike those who promote more-consensual community bui ...

. At the age of 19, she was appointed to the

Timmins Timmins ( ) is a city in northeastern Ontario, Canada, located on the Mattagami River. The city is the fourth-largest city in the Northeastern Ontario region with a population of 41,145 (2021). The city's economy is based on natural resource ext ...

Parks and Recreation Commission, where she served as the only woman for over 20 years. While a resident of Timmins, she managed numerous municipal, provincial and federal campaigns. She served as executive director of the

Liberal Party of Canada The Liberal Party of Canada (french: Parti libéral du Canada, region=CA) is a federal political party in Canada. The party espouses the principles of liberalism,McCall, Christina; Stephen Clarkson"Liberal Party". ''The Canadian Encyclopedia'' ...

's Ontario wing in the late 1970s. In the early 1980s, she served as

executive assistant A secretary, administrative professional, administrative assistant, executive assistant, administrative officer, administrative support specialist, clerk, military assistant, management assistant, office secretary, or personal assistant is a wh ...

to John Munro,

Minister of Indian and Northern Affairs Minister may refer to: * Minister (Christianity), a Christian cleric ** Minister (Catholic Church) * Minister (government), a member of government who heads a ministry (government department) ** Minister without portfolio, a member of governme ...

, and later managed his national leadership campaign in 1984. She also managed

Greg Sorbara Gregory Samuel Sorbara (born September 4, 1946) is a former politician in Ontario, Canada. He was a Liberal member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1985 to 1995, and again from 2001 to 2012 who represented ridings north of Toronto in t ...

's 1992 campaign for the leadership of the Ontario Liberal Party, and played a leading role in

's 1990 campaign for the leadership of the Liberal Party of Canada. She subsequently served as the Ontario campaign director for the Liberal Party in its victorious 1993 general election campaign. In the Senate, Finnerty served on the following committees: * Standing Committee on Agriculture and Forestry * Standing Committee on Banking, Trade and Commerce * Standing Committee on Energy, the Environment and Natural Resources * Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Trade * Standing Committee on Human Rights * Standing Committee on Legal and Constitutional Affairs * Standing Committee on National Finance (as Vice-chair for two sessions) * Standing Committee on Rules, Procedures and the Rights of Parliament * Standing Committee on Social Affairs, Science and Technology * Standing Committee on Transport and Communications Finnerty died, aged 86, on October 3, 2016, at the Anson General Hospital in

Iroquois Falls, Ontario Iroquois Falls is a town in Northern Ontario, Canada, with a population of 4,537 at the 2016 census. The town centre lies 11 km east of Hwy 11 on the banks of the Abitibi River, west of Lake Abitibi. Timmins, one of the largest cities in ...

References

External links

* 1930 births 2016 deaths Canadian senators from Ontario Liberal Party of Canada senators Women members of the Senate of Canada People from Timmins Women in Ontario politics 21st-century Canadian politicians 21st-century Canadian women politicians {{Ontario-politician-stub