Rose Marie Louise Simard, (born April 17, 1947) is a lawyer, executive, and former politician in

Saskatchewan Saskatchewan ( ; ) is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Western Canada, western Canada, bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, to the northeast by Nunavut, and on t ...

, Canada. She represented Regina Lakeview (1986–91) and

Regina Hillsdale Regina Hillsdale was a provincial electoral district for the Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan, Canada from 1991 to 1995. It was created from territories from Regina Lakeview and Regina Wascana. While it existed, it was represented by NDP MLA Lo ...

(1991–95) in the Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan as a

New Democratic Party The New Democratic Party (NDP; french: Nouveau Parti démocratique, NPD) is a federal political party in Canada. Widely described as social democratic,The party is widely described as social democratic: * * * * * * * * * * * * t ...

(NDP) member.

Personal life

Rose Marie Louise Simard was born on 17 April 1947 in

Val-d'Or, Quebec Val-d'Or (, , ; "Golden Valley" or "Valley of Gold") is a city in Quebec, Canada with a population of 32,752 inhabitants according to the Canada 2021 Census. The city is located in the Abitibi-Témiscamingue region near La Vérendrye Wildlife R ...

, and grew up in Meadow Lake, Saskatchewan. She is a descendant of

Pierre Poitras Pierre Poitras (1810 – July 31, 1889) was a political figure in Manitoba, Canada. He was a member of the Convention of Forty and served in the Legislative Assembly of Assiniboia The Legislative Assembly of Assiniboia (french: Assemblée législat ...

, a member of Louis Riel’s

Provisional government A provisional government, also called an interim government, an emergency government, or a transitional government, is an emergency governmental authority set up to manage a political transition generally in the cases of a newly formed state or f ...

in what is now

Manitoba Manitoba ( ) is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada at the Centre of Canada, longitudinal centre of the country. It is Canada's Population of Canada by province and territory, fifth-most populous province, with a population o ...

. Her ancestors were active in bringing Manitoba into

Confederation A confederation (also known as a confederacy or league) is a union of sovereign groups or states united for purposes of common action. Usually created by a treaty, confederations of states tend to be established for dealing with critical issu ...

in 1870. She is a citizen of

Métis Nation—Saskatchewan The Métis Nation—Saskatchewan (also MN-S or MNS) is a federally-recognized government that represents Métis people in the province of Saskatchewan, Canada. It is affiliated with the Métis National Council. Glen McCallum was elected as p ...

. After receiving a BA (

Philosophy Philosophy (from , ) is the systematized study of general and fundamental questions, such as those about existence, reason, knowledge, values, mind, and language. Such questions are often posed as problems to be studied or resolved. Some ...

) in 1969 and

LLB Bachelor of Laws ( la, Legum Baccalaureus; LL.B.) is an undergraduate law degree in the United Kingdom and most common law jurisdictions. Bachelor of Laws is also the name of the law degree awarded by universities in the China, People's Republic ...

degree (Jurisprudence Award) in 1970 from the

University of Saskatchewan A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, t ...

, Simard

articled Apprenticeship is a system for training a new generation of practitioners of a trade or profession with on-the-job training and often some accompanying study (classroom work and reading). Apprenticeships can also enable practitioners to gain a ...

in Regina and was called to the

Saskatchewan Bar Saskatchewan ( ; ) is a province in western Canada, bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, to the northeast by Nunavut, and on the south by the U.S. states of Montana and North Dako ...

in 1971. Simard has two children, Paul and Marin, from her first marriage.

Career

Early career

In 1974, Simard became the first female Legislative Council and Law Clerk for the province of Saskatchewan. From 1978 to 1986, Simard practiced law in Regina, during which time she served as an agent of the Attorney General of Saskatchewan. From 1978 to 1983, Simard served as Deputy Chief Commissioner of the

Saskatchewan Human Rights Commission The Saskatchewan Human Rights Commission is a body within the Government of Saskatchewan whose mission is "To promote and protect the individual dignity, fundamental freedoms and equal rights of Saskatchewan citizens''.''"Government of Saskatchewan on the development of the Matrimonial Property Act, 1980, which gave equal sharing rights to spouses in a marriage, and on the amalgamation of the District Court and the Court of the Queen's Bench. From 1982 to 1985, Simard was consumer representative on the Council of the

College of Physicians and Surgeons of Saskatchewan The College of Physicians and Surgeons of Saskatchewan is a regulatory college which acts as the governing body in the province of Saskatchewan that manages the licensing of medical practitioners, verifies practice standards for medicine, and follo ...

. She was one of the first public members appointed to the Medical Council of Canada (1996), and later became the first public member (i.e. non-physician) to become President of the Medical Council of Canada (2002–2003). She was also a non-medical representative on the board of directors of the Canadian Nurses Association.

Political career

Simard represented Regina Lakeview (1986–91) and

(1991–95) in the Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan as a

(NDP) member. She held numerous ministerial portfolios during this period, mostly notably during her time in the

Official Opposition Parliamentary opposition is a form of political opposition to a designated government, particularly in a Westminster-based parliamentary system. This article uses the term ''government'' as it is used in Parliamentary systems, i.e. meaning ''th ...

from 1986 to 1991 as the Opposition Health Critic, as well as the critic for women's issues,

SaskPower Saskatchewan Power Corporation, operating as SaskPower, is the principal electric utility in Saskatchewan, Canada. Established in 1929 by the provincial government, it serves more than 538,000 customers and manages over $11.8 billion in assets. Sa ...

, the

Saskatchewan Human Rights Commission The Saskatchewan Human Rights Commission is a body within the Government of Saskatchewan whose mission is "To promote and protect the individual dignity, fundamental freedoms and equal rights of Saskatchewan citizens''.''"Ombudsman An ombudsman (, also ,), ombud, ombuds, ombudswoman, ombudsperson or public advocate is an official who is usually appointed by the government or by parliament (usually with a significant degree of independence) to investigate complaints and at ...

; and in government from 1991 to 1995 as the Minister of Health and Minister Responsible for the Status of Women (now Minister of Status of Women). At the time, Simard was only the second female lawyer to have been elected to serve in the Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan. As Minister of Health, she was responsible for the strategy, vision, and development leading to a complete reform and restructuring of the health care system in Saskatchewan. She introduced a "wellness" model of health care, which emphasized primary health care and population health goals, converted many small rural hospitals to health centres, and established regional health districts and boards. This was a very challenging time for the Government of Saskatchewan following the difficult financial years, near default, and scandals faced by the Grant Devine government, establishment and changes to The Established Programs Financing Act (EPF) under the

Pierre Trudeau Joseph Philippe Pierre Yves Elliott Trudeau ( , ; October 18, 1919 – September 28, 2000), also referred to by his initials PET, was a Canadian lawyer and politician who served as the 15th prime minister of Canada The prime mini ...

and

Brian Mulroney Martin Brian Mulroney ( ; born March 20, 1939) is a Canadian lawyer, businessman, and politician who served as the 18th prime minister of Canada from 1984 to 1993. Born in the eastern Quebec city of Baie-Comeau, Mulroney studied political sci ...

governments that reduced federal healthcare funding transfers to the provinces, and Bill C-69 (1990) and Bill C-20 (1991) (Federal Restraint Law) that froze EPF for five years to the end of the 1994–1995 fiscal year and thereafter capped EPF increases to gross national product minus 3 per cent. Simard has been recognized as a leader in the field of health planning. Simard oversaw numerous other ministerial portfolios while in office, including the Treasury Board, SaskTel, Wascana Centre Authority, Health Services and Utilization Commission, Saskatchewan Cancer Foundation, Health Research Board, Women's Advisory Council, Centre of the Arts, Public Service Commission, and the Mental Health Advisory Council.

Post-political career

Simard resigned from office in 1995 to return to the practice of law and was named

Queen's Counsel In the United Kingdom and in some Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth countries, a King's Counsel (Post-nominal letters, post-nominal initials KC) during the reign of a king, or Queen's Counsel (post-nominal initials QC) during the reign of ...

in 1997. From 2000 to 2003, she was president and

Chief Executive Officer A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a central executive officer (CEO), chief administrator officer (CAO) or just chief executive (CE), is one of a number of corporate executives charged with the management of an organization especially ...

of the Saskatchewan Association of Health Organizations (SAHO) before moving into the role of president and

of the Health Employers Association of British Columbia. In 2002, Simard received the Commemorative Medal for the Queen's Jubilee. Simard dedicated herself to serving on boards, including the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada (in which she is also part of the Indigenous Committee), the Canadian Patient Safety Institute (CPSI),Canadian Patient Safety Institute
/ref> Canadian Health Services Research Foundation, the

Canadian Institute of Health Research 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 ...

Chair in Nursing Human Resources, among others. Simard has also served on the

Canadian Medical Association The Canadian Medical Association (CMA; french: Association médicale canadienne, AMC) is a national, voluntary association of physicians and medical learners that advocates on national health matters. Its primary mandate is to drive positive ch ...

Task Force on Physician Supply in Canada and the Canadian College of Health Services Executives. In 2010, Simard served as Professional Affiliate at the

, where she delivered a class on Health Reform at the School of Public Health She was awarded Alumni of Influence that year by the university's College of Arts and Science. Simard is an honorary member of the Saskatchewan Registered Nurses’ Association, a past non-medical representative on the board of directors of the

Canadian Nurses Association The Canadian Nurses Association (CNA), official bilingualism in Canada, known in French as the Association des infirmières et infirmiers du Canada (AIIC), is the national professional association representing registered nurses, nurse practition ...

, and a life member of the Saskatchewan Lung Association. Simard is also a recipient of the 2011 Katharine Pearson Caregiver Award from the

Victorian Order of Nurses The Victorian Order of Nurses (VON) has been leading home and community care in Canada for over a century. Today, VON provides home and community support services to over 10,000 people every day across Ontario and Nova Scotia. It is registered as a ...

. In fall of 2018, Simard took the position of

Chief Operating Officer A chief operating officer or chief operations officer, also called a COO, is one of the highest-ranking executive positions in an organization, composing part of the "C-suite". The COO is usually the second-in-command at the firm, especially if t ...

at the

(MN-S) where she focused on

Nation-building Nation-building is constructing or structuring a national identity using the power of the state. Nation-building aims at the unification of the people within the state so that it remains politically stable and viable in the long run. According to ...

. In the summer of 2020, Simard announced that she would be stepping away from that post.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Simard, Louise 1947 births Living people Canadian King's Counsel People from Val-d'Or Politicians from Regina, Saskatchewan Saskatchewan New Democratic Party MLAs Women MLAs in Saskatchewan Métis politicians Canadian Métis people