Mary Alice "Peggy" Butts (August 15, 1924 – March 6, 2004) was a Canadian politician who represented

Nova Scotia Nova Scotia ( ; ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. Nova Scotia is Latin for "New Scotland". Most of the population are native Eng ...

in the Senate from 1997 to 1999.

Early life and education

Born in

Glace Bay Glace Bay (Scottish Gaelic: ''Glasbaidh'') is a community in the eastern part of the Cape Breton Regional Municipality in Nova Scotia, Canada. It forms part of the general area referred to as Industrial Cape Breton. Formerly an incorporated ...

, on the

Feast of the Assumption The Assumption of Mary is one of the four Marian dogmas of the Catholic Church. Pope Pius XII defined it in 1950 in his apostolic constitution ''Munificentissimus Deus'' as follows: We proclaim and define it to be a dogma revealed by Go ...

, Peggy was a

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy * Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD * Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a let ...

religious sister A religious sister (abbreviated ''Sr.'' or Sist.) in the Catholic Church is a woman who has taken public vows in a religious institute dedicated to apostolic works, as distinguished from a nun who lives a cloistered monastic life dedicated to pra ...

in the Sisters of Notre Dame congregation. She obtained several degrees, including two bachelor's degrees in philosophy and education, a master's degree in political philosophy from the

University of Ottawa The University of Ottawa (french: Université d'Ottawa), often referred to as uOttawa or U of O, is a bilingual public research university in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. The main campus is located on directly to the northeast of Downtown Ottaw ...

, and a PhD in political philosophy 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 ...

. Through her life she served as a schoolteacher and high school principal. Later she was a professor at

St. Francis Xavier University St. Francis Xavier University is a public undergraduate liberal arts university located in Antigonish, Nova Scotia, Canada. It is a member of the Maple League, a group of primarily undergraduate universities in Eastern Canada. History St. Franc ...

and the University College of Cape Breton (now Cape Breton University).

Political career

At the age of 73, Peggy was appointed to the Senate. However, qualification laws for senators caused problems with her appointment. All Canadian senators are required to possess land worth at least $4,000 in the province for which he or she is appointed, as well as own real and personal property worth at least $4,000, above his or her debts and liabilities. Having taken a vow of poverty upon becoming a nun, Butts was able to officially be sworn in only after her order formally transferred a small parcel of land to her name. Butts resigned at the age of 75 as required by law, and for her two years of service donated her entire salary to charity.

Personal life

She had a strong influence on her nephew Gerald Butts, principal secretary to both Ontario Premier

Dalton McGuinty Dalton James Patrick McGuinty Jr. (born July 19, 1955) is a former Canadian politician who served as the 24th premier of Ontario from 2003 to 2013. He was the first Liberal leader to win two majority governments since Mitchell Hepburn nea ...

and Canadian prime minister

Justin Trudeau Justin Pierre James Trudeau ( , ; born December 25, 1971) is a Canadian politician who is the 23rd and current prime minister of Canada. He has served as the prime minister of Canada since 2015 and as the leader of the Liberal Party since 2 ...

. Peggy Butts died in Sydney, Nova Scotia at age 79 in 2004.

Awards

Butts received the Weiler Award in 1995 in recognition of her contributions to community and social development in

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

, and was awarded an honorary degree from

in 1996. She received the Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal in 2002.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Butts, Peggy 1924 births 2004 deaths Academic staff of St. Francis Xavier University Canadian schoolteachers 20th-century Canadian nuns Women members of the Senate of Canada Canadian senators from Nova Scotia Liberal Party of Canada senators People from Glace Bay Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur St. Francis Xavier University alumni University of Ottawa alumni University of Toronto alumni Women in Nova Scotia politics 20th-century Canadian women politicians Academic staff of Cape Breton University