Thérèse Lavoie-Roux
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Thérèse Lavoie-Roux (March 12, 1928 – January 31, 2009) was a Canadian politician and social worker who served in the
National Assembly of Quebec The National Assembly of Quebec (, ) is the Legislature, legislative body of the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec in Canada. Legislators are called MNAs (Members of the National Assembly; ). The lieutenant governor of Que ...
and the
Senate of Canada The Senate of Canada () is the upper house of the Parliament of Canada. Together with the Monarchy of Canada#Parliament (King-in-Parliament), Crown and the House of Commons of Canada, House of Commons, they compose the Bicameralism, bicameral le ...
. She was the Minister of Health and Social Services from 1985 to 1989.


Early life

Lavoie-Roux was born on March 12, 1928, in
Rivière-du-Loup Rivière-du-Loup (; 2021 population 20,118) is a small city (Quebec), city on the south shore of the Saint Lawrence River in Quebec. The city is the seat for the Rivière-du-Loup Regional County Municipality and the Judicial districts of Quebec ...
, Quebec, the daughter of Lauréat Lavoie and Charlotte Dubé. She received her undergraduate degree in 1949, and her master's degree in social work from the
University of Montreal A university () is an institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly means "community of teachers and scholars". Univ ...
. She became a
social work Social work is an academic discipline and practice-based profession concerned with meeting the basic needs of individuals, families, groups, communities, and society as a whole to enhance their individual and collective well-being. Social wo ...
er and therapist at the
Montreal Children's Hospital Montreal Children's Hospital () is a children's hospital in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1904, it is affiliated with the McGill University Health Centre (MUHC) and McGill University, Faculty of Medicine. The hospital has 154 single-pati ...
from 1951 to 1960. She served on a number of boards, including the Home Care Services for the Mentally Disturbed. In 1969, the law changed and women were allowed to be members of the Montreal Roman Catholic School Board for the first time. Lavoie-Roux was selected by the Archbishop of Montreal to be the first female member and upon her selection, she was elected as Vice-Chair. In 1970, she became the Chair, a position she would hold for seven years. During this time, she initiated a meals programme.


Political career

In 1976, the
premier Premier is a title for the head of government in central governments, state governments and local governments of some countries. A second in command to a premier is designated as a deputy premier. A premier will normally be a head of govern ...
of Quebec,
Robert Bourassa Robert Bourassa (; July 14, 1933 – October 2, 1996) was a Canadian lawyer and politician who served as the 22nd premier of Quebec from 1970 to 1976 and from 1985 to 1994. A member of the Liberal Party of Quebec, he served a total of just ...
, invited her to run for a seat in the
National Assembly of Quebec The National Assembly of Quebec (, ) is the Legislature, legislative body of the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec in Canada. Legislators are called MNAs (Members of the National Assembly; ). The lieutenant governor of Que ...
and promised her a cabinet position if 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. For example, while the political systems ...
won a majority. Lavoie-Roux won her seat in the 1976 general election for the riding of
L'Acadie Acadia (; ) was a colony of New France in northeastern North America which included parts of what are now the Maritime provinces, the Gaspé Peninsula and Maine to the Kennebec River. The population of Acadia included the various indigenous Fir ...
but not the cabinet position, as the Liberal Party failed to win enough seats. She was the only female opposition member and only one of five women in total. She became the opposition critic on the Status of Women. She was re-elected in
1981 Events January * January 1 ** Greece enters the European Economic Community, predecessor of the European Union. ** Palau becomes a self-governing territory. * January 6 – A funeral service is held in West Germany for Nazi Grand Admiral ...
and
1985 The year 1985 was designated as the International Youth Year by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** The Internet's Domain Name System is created. ** Greenland withdraws from the European Economic Community as a result of a n ...
. From 1985 to 1989, she was the Minister of Health and Social Services in the cabinet of Robert Bourassa. She was also the Minister responsible for Family Policy. In 1990, she was appointed by Prime Minister
Brian Mulroney Martin Brian Mulroney (March 20, 1939 – February 29, 2024) was 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 studi ...
to the
Senate of Canada The Senate of Canada () is the upper house of the Parliament of Canada. Together with the Monarchy of Canada#Parliament (King-in-Parliament), Crown and the House of Commons of Canada, House of Commons, they compose the Bicameralism, bicameral le ...
representing the senatorial division of Acadie, Quebec. She sat as a Progressive Conservative. While in the Senate, she was chair of the Internal Economy Committee. She retired on her 73rd birthday in 2001.


Personal life

She married Lucien Roux on July 12, 1962. She died in Montreal on January 31, 2009.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lavoie-Roux, Therese 1928 births 2009 deaths Canadian senators from Quebec Quebec Liberal Party MNAs Progressive Conservative Party of Canada senators Women members of the Senate of Canada People from Rivière-du-Loup Politicians from Bas-Saint-Laurent Women MNAs in Quebec 20th-century members of the National Assembly of Quebec 20th-century members of the Senate of Canada 21st-century members of the Senate of Canada 21st-century Canadian women politicians 20th-century Canadian women politicians