Strong, gorgeous women!

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Gabrielle Roy, 1909 – 1983
French-Canadian author




She is considered by many to be one of the most important Francophone writers in Canadian history
and one of the most influential Canadian authors.[wikip.]

Some of her well known works include: Bonheur d'occasion (The Tin Flute), La Petite Poule d'Eau (Where Nests the Water Hen),
Ces enfants de ma vie (Children of My Heart), amongst others.

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More Canadian Herstory:

Jeanne Sauvé, 1922 - 1993
Canadian journalist, politician, stateswoman





She was appointed as the 23rd Governor General and Commander-in-Chief of Canada in December 1983,
marking the first time that a woman had been named to the post.

Sauvé was a staunch advocate of issues surrounding youth and world peace, and the dove of peace is one of the elements incorporated into Sauvé's coat-of-arms. Long before her vice-regal mandate, she worked as assistant to the Director of the Youth Secretariat of UNESCO, served as Secretary of the Canadian Committee for the World Assembly of Youth, and initiated and hosted a discussion show for youth.
...

Sauvé's concern for youth and peace were two of the three central themes of her mandate – the third was national unity. She travelled extensively, making her role as Governor General – a largely symbolic office – accessible to all Canadians. In her installation speech she spoke about the need for Canadians to forgo a narrow sense of their nation and to become more tolerant. "This is the price of our happiness", she said, "but happiness will never be found in the spirit of 'every man for himself'." [wikip.]

[Front-Ranger]

I'm also enjoying this series very much. Thank you, Lucise, and keep 'em coming!

[Ellemeno]

I'm learning about so many women I never knew about.  Thanks, everyone.

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Sarah McLachlan




Sarah McLachlan was born in Halifax, Nova Scotia. After studying at the Nova Scotia Conservatory of Music,
she became a famous singer and songwriter. In 1996 Sarah founded an all-female music festival called Lilith Fair,
which toured widely for three years. Because of this initiative and her efforts to advance the careers of women
in the music business, Sarah McLachlan received the Elizabeth Cady Stanton Visionary Award in 1998.



I know she is in here already, but I woke up this morning with her voice on my alarm clock. 
The song is still in my head....

Sarah McLachlan - World On Fire
[youtube=425,350]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hzoNInZ2ClQ[/youtube]

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Grace Annie Lockhart, 1855-1916





On 25 May 1875, Lockhart received a bachelor of science and English literature
from Mt Allison College, Sackville, New Brunswick, and thus became the first woman in Canada & the British Empire
to receive a bachelor's degree. Although her later life was spent in a more conventional role,
as the wife of the Methodist minister J.L. Dawson, Lockhart's academic achievement as a student provided
clear evidence of the justice of women's claim to full rights in the field of higher education. [thecanadianencyclopedia.com]

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Clara Brett Martin (1874 – 1923)
Canadian law pioneer




In 1888, C. B. Martin was accepted to Trinity College in Toronto.
And in 1890, Martin graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Mathematics at the age of sixteen,
which was almost unheard of because of the masculinity associated with that field.

As Canada prepared to enter the 20th century, women were barred from participation in,
let alone any influence on or control over, the legal system at its fullest --
women could not be voters, legislators, coroners, magistrates, judges or jurors.
They were visible in the courts as litigants, witnesses & accused persons.

She opened the way for women to become lawyers in Canada by being the first in Canada & the British Empire in 1897. [wikip.]

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E. Pauline Johnson, 1861 – 1913
Canadian writer and performer




She was notable for her poems and performances that celebrated her aboriginal heritage.
One such poem is the frequently anthologized “The Song My Paddle Sings.”
Her poetry was published in Canada, the United States and Great Britain.
Johnson was one of a generation of widely read writers who began to define a Canadian national literature. [wikip.]


An excerpt from her poem: "The Song My Paddle Sings."
...

August is laughing across the sky,   
Laughing while paddle, canoe and I          
Drift, drift,   
Where the hills uplift   
On either side of the current swift.   
 
The river rolls in its rocky bed,   
My paddle is plying its way ahead,          
Dip, dip,   
When the waters flip   
In foam as over their breast we slip.   
 
And oh, the river runs swifter now;   
The eddies circle about my bow:          
Swirl, swirl!   
How the ripples curl   
In many a dangerous pool awhirl!   
And far to forward the rapids roar,   
Fretting their margin for evermore;          
Dash, dash,   
With a mighty crash,   
They seethe and boil and bound and splash.   

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Rose Fortune, 1774 - 1864





Rose Fortune was born in Virginia, the daughter of slaves. Her parents, Black Loyalists,
came to Annapolis Royal, Nova Scotia when Rose was ten, where they were given their freedom.
To earn money, Rose began working as a baggage carrier, transporting luggage and other items from the docks in a wheelbarrow.
She expanded her business to cover all of the town and also operated a ‘wake-up’ service, alerting travellers so they
wouldn't miss their boat.

Also at this time, Rose Fortune appointed herself as the police department of Annapolis Royal.
She imposed and enforced curfews and kept the wharves under control.
She was the first known policewoman in Canada.  [famouscanadians.net]

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Canadian Herstory series continues..

Françoise Sullivan
Painter, sculptor and photographer




Francoise Sullivan is an artist who pioneered the modern art movement in Canada.
Her varied career embraced dance, choreography, welded-medal sculpture, conceptual art,
representational painting, collage and large scale abstract painting.


Untitled, 1967


Danse dans la neige, 1948