Politics & Law | The Canadian Encyclopedia

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  • Article

    Olivia Chow

    Olivia Chow, mayor of Toronto 2023­–present, politician, organizer, artist (born 24 March 1957 in Hong Kong). Olivia Chow began her career in Toronto municipal politics as a school trustee in the 1980s. She went on to serve as a city councillor from 1991 until 2005. In 2006, she entered federal politics as a Member of Parliament. She took a prominent role in the NDP caucus alongside her husband, NDP leader Jack Layton. In 2023, Chow became the first racialized person elected mayor of Toronto.

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    https://d2ttikhf7xbzbs.cloudfront.net/Olivia_Chow_at_Mayoral_Candidates_Roundtable_2014_cropped.jpg Olivia Chow

  • Article

    Palbinder Kaur Shergill

    Palbinder Kaur Shergill, QC, judge of the Supreme Court of British Columbia in New Westminster (born in Rurka Kalan, Punjab, India). Shergill spent 26 years practising law before she was appointed to the Supreme Court of British Columbia. She was the first turbaned Sikh woman to be appointed as a judge in Canada.

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    https://d2ttikhf7xbzbs.cloudfront.net/media/new_article_images/PalbinderKaurShergill/Palbinder_Kaur_Shergill_Tweetonly.jpg Palbinder Kaur Shergill

  • Article

    Pat Carney

    Patricia Carney, CM, PC, Member of Parliament 1980–88, senator 1991–2008, journalist, economist (born 26 May 1935 in Shanghai, China; died 25 July 2023). Pat Carney’s career was marked by many firsts. After working as the first female business columnist with a major daily newspaper in Canada, she became the first female Conservative politician from British Columbia to be elected to Parliament, in 1980. She was re-elected in 1984 and served as Minister of Energy, Mines and Resources, Minister of International Trade and president of the Treasury Board. She was the first woman to head each portfolio. In 1990, she became the first woman from British Columbia to be appointed to the Senate. Carney played a key role in negotiating NAFTA and cast the deciding vote that kept abortion legal in Canada.

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    https://d2ttikhf7xbzbs.cloudfront.net/Pat_Carney.jpg Pat Carney

  • Article

    Patriation of the Constitution

    In 1982, Canada “patriated” its Constitution. It transferred the country’s highest law, the British North America Act (which was renamed the Constitution Act, 1867), from the authority of the British Parliament to Canada’s federal and provincial legislatures. The Constitution was also updated with a new amending formula and a Charter of Rights and Freedoms. These changes occurred after a fierce, 18-month political and legal struggle that dominated headlines and the agendas of every government in the country.

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    https://development.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/images/tce_placeholder.jpg?v=e9dca980c9bdb3aa11e832e7ea94f5d9 Patriation of the Constitution

  • Article

    Paul Bernardo and Karla Homolka Case

    The crimes of Paul Bernardo and his wife Karla Homolka were among the most horrifying and controversial in Canadian history. This article contains sensitive material that may not be suitable for all audiences.

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    https://d2ttikhf7xbzbs.cloudfront.net/media/media/60d763f2-60f1-49b9-ae90-ea3f0d0916ec.jpg Paul Bernardo and Karla Homolka Case

  • Article

    Paul Hellyer

    Paul Theodore Hellyer, PC, politician, engineer, businessman, writer (born 6 August 1923 near Waterford, ON; died 8 August 2021 in Toronto, ON). A long-time Member of Parliament (MP), Paul Hellyer served in the cabinets of prime ministers Lester B. Pearson and Pierre Trudeau, and was the longest-serving member of the Privy Council at the time of his death. As defence minister, he oversaw Canada’s adoption of nuclear weapons and organized the unification of the armed forces. Hellyer contested the leadership of both the Liberal and Progressive Conservative parties and led two small federal parties of his own creation. He was a notable critic of free trade and advocated for monetary reform. He also gained international notoriety for claiming that Western governments possess — and have been suppressing — evidence of UFOs and extraterrestrial life.

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    https://d2ttikhf7xbzbs.cloudfront.net/Paul_Hellyer_1940s.jpg Paul Hellyer

  • Article

    Paul Rose

    Paul Rose, Québecois indépendantiste leader, terrorist, unionist (born 16 October 1943 in Montreal, Quebec; died 14 March 2013 in Montreal). He was a member of the Chénier Cell, also known as the South Shore Gang, of the Front de libération du Québec (FLQ) and a key player in the October Crisis. On 13 March 1971, he was sentenced for the kidnapping and murder of Pierre Laporte, a minister in the government of Quebec.

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    https://d2ttikhf7xbzbs.cloudfront.net/media/single_use_images/Paul_Rose.jpg Paul Rose

  • Article

    Jean-Luc Pepin

    Jean-Luc Pepin, academic, politician (b at Drummondville, Qué 1 Nov 1924; d at Ottawa 5 Sept 1995). Educated at the University of Ottawa and the University of Paris, Pepin later taught political science at U of O.

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    https://development.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/images/tce_placeholder.jpg?v=e9dca980c9bdb3aa11e832e7ea94f5d9 Jean-Luc Pepin

  • Article

    Percy Schmeiser

    Percy Schmeiser, farmer, business owner, Saskatchewan MLA 1967–71, politician (born 5 January 1931 in Bruno, SK; died 13 October 2020). Farmer Percy Schmeiser was mayor of Bruno, Saskatchewan, from 1963 to 1982 and MLA for the riding of Watrous from 1967 to 1971. He is best known as the defendant in Schmeiser v. Monsanto, which was argued all the way to the Supreme Court of Canada. Monsanto, an American agrochemicals corporation, accused Schmeiser of illegally using their patented genetically modified seeds. Schmeiser claimed they had simply blown onto his farm. He became a folk hero for his stand against a large agricultural corporation and against the use of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in agriculture. An advocate for environmental justice, farmers’ rights, and the right to save seeds, he received the Mahatma Gandhi Award and the Canadian Health Food Association Hall of Fame Award.

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    https://d2ttikhf7xbzbs.cloudfront.net/media/media/dc2050ae-b79f-4f42-9cb0-d37a157abffa.jpg Percy Schmeiser

  • Article

    Persons Case

    The Persons Case (Edwards v. A.G. of Canada) was a constitutional ruling that established the right of women to be appointed to the Senate. The case was initiated by the Famous Five, a group of prominent women activists. In 1928, the Supreme Court of Canada ruled that women were not “persons” according to the British North America Act (now called the Constitution Act, 1867). Therefore, they were ineligible for appointment to the Senate. However, the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council reversed the Court’s decision on 18 October 1929. The Persons Case enabled women to work for change in both the House of Commons and the Senate. It also meant that women could no longer be denied rights based on a narrow interpretation of the law.

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    https://d2ttikhf7xbzbs.cloudfront.net/media/media/65699b89-06c0-4518-aa06-4eea43f2ec74.jpg Persons Case

  • Article

    Peter Tomkins

    Peter Tomkins Jr., Métis leader, political organizer, blacksmith (born 1 January 1899 in Poundmaker Reserve, SK; died June 1970 in High Prairie, AB). In the 1930s, he worked with Jim Brady and Malcolm Norris to build the Métis Association of Alberta (founded 1932, now the Métis Nation of Alberta) and the Indian Association of Alberta (1939). From health care to his work with the Métis settlements, Tomkins promoted improved living conditions for the Métis of Alberta and Saskatchewan. His diplomacy, lobbying and negotiating skills helped get the first Métis-specific legislation passed in Canada in 1938.

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    https://development.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/images/tce_placeholder.jpg?v=e9dca980c9bdb3aa11e832e7ea94f5d9 Peter Tomkins

  • Article

    Pierre Elliott Trudeau

    Pierre Elliott Trudeau, PC, CC, CH, FRSC, prime minister of Canada 1968–79 and 1980–84, politician, writer, constitutional lawyer (born 18 October 1919 in Montreal, QC; died 28 September 2000 in Montreal). A charismatic and controversial figure, Pierre Trudeau was arguably Canada’s best-known politician, both at home and abroad. He introduced legal reforms to make Canada a more “just society” and made Canada officially bilingual with the Official Languages Act of 1969. He negotiated Canada’s constitutional independence from Britain and established a new Canadian Constitution with a Charter of Rights and Freedoms. He played an important role in defeating the Quebec separatist movement of the 1970s and 1980s; although his decision to invoke the War Measures Act in response to the 1970 October Crisis drew sharp criticism. His federalist stance as well as his language and economic policies alienated many in Canada, particularly in the West. His eldest son, Justin Trudeau, became leader of the Liberal Party in 2013 and prime minister in 2015.

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    https://d2ttikhf7xbzbs.cloudfront.net/media/media/e267e51e-7b20-4bdd-94f2-0270f8c586e1.jpg Pierre Elliott Trudeau

  • Article

    Pierre Laporte

    Pierre Laporte, journalist, lawyer, politician (born 25 February 1921 in Montreal, Quebec; died 17 October 1970). In October of 1970, Laporte was abducted and subsequently murdered by the Chénier cell of the Front de Libération du Québec (FLQ). This series of events intensified the October Crisis in Quebec. Laporte is one of very few politicians to be assassinated in Canada (see Thomas D’Arcy McGee). 

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    https://d2ttikhf7xbzbs.cloudfront.net/media/media/e9409afc-73e6-44d6-8533-fd659b8aaf15.jpg Pierre Laporte

  • Article

    Pierre Poilievre

    Pierre Poilievre, politician, Member of Parliament 2004–present, Cabinet minister, leader of the official opposition 2022–present (born 3 June 1979 in Calgary, AB). Pierre Poilievre has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for the Ottawa riding of Carleton (formerly Nepean-Carleton) since 2004. After serving as the youngest MP in Parliament, Poilievre became a cabinet minister in the government of Prime Minister Stephen Harper. Long known as a pugnacious partisan, Poilievre has been a fierce critic of the government of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Poilievre became the leader of the Conservative Party and of the Official Opposition in September 2022.

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    https://d2ttikhf7xbzbs.cloudfront.net/Pierre_Poilievre_with_Wife_(cropped).jpg Pierre Poilievre

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    Pitikwahanapiwiyin (Poundmaker)

    Pitikwahanapiwiyin (Poundmaker), Cree chief (born circa 1842 in central SK; died 4 July 1886 in Blackfoot Crossing, AB). Remembered as a great leader, Pitikwahanapiwiyin strove to protect the interests of his people during the negotiation of Treaty 6. Considered a peacemaker, he did not take up arms in the North-West Resistance. However, a young and militant faction of his band did participate in the conflict, resulting in Pitikwahanapiwiyin’s arrest and imprisonment for treason. His legacy as a peacemaker lives on among many Cree peoples, including the Poundmaker Cree Nation in Saskatchewan.

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    https://d2ttikhf7xbzbs.cloudfront.net/!feature-img-thumbnails/poundmaker-th.jpg Pitikwahanapiwiyin (Poundmaker)