Celine Dion:
Achievements:
- Gold Medal at the Yamaha World Song Festival in Tokyo and the Musician's Award for Top Performer -1982
- First Canadian to ever receive a Gold Record in France-1983
- Won the Eurovision Song Contest in Dublin, Ireland-1988
- Academy Award and Grammy Award for ‘Beauty and the Beast’
- Think Twice’ is the fourth million-selling single ever in the UK by a female artist.
- Fall Into You’ was Album of the Year and Best Pop Album at the Grammy Awards-1996
Links: http://www.celinedion.com/celinedion/english/journey.html http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001144/bio http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Celine_Dion
Christine Sinclair:
Achievements:
- Captain of Canada’s women soccer team, all-time leader with 87 goals
- One of three women to ever win the Missouri Athletic Club Hermann Trophy in consecutive seasons-2004-05
- Led the Vancouver Whitecaps to the 2006 W-League championship.
- Led Portland (college) to two NCAA Division I titles-2002 and 2005
- Made the British Columbia under-14 girls' all-star team at age 11
Links: http://sports.yahoo.com/olympics/beijing/CAN/Christine+Sinclair/211994 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christine_Sinclair
Elizabeth May:
Achievements:
- Senior Policy advisor to the federal Environment Minister in 1986
- She has written five books: Budworm Battles (1982), Paradise Won: The Struggle to Save South Moresby (1990), At the Cutting Edge: The Crisis in Canada’s Forests (Key Porter Books, 1998), Frederick Street: Life and Death on Canada’s Love Canal (Harper Collins, 2000), and How to Save the World in Your Spare Time (Key Porter Books, 2006)
- “Elizabeth May Chair in Women’s Health and Environment” was created to honor her by Dalhousie University-1998
- Became Green Party’s ninth leader in March 2006
Awards:
- Outstanding Achievement Award from the Sierra Club-1989
- International Conservation Award from the Friends of Nature-1990
- United Nations Global 500 Award-1990
- Outstanding Leadership in Environmental Education by the Ontario Society for Environmental Education-1996
Links: http://www.greenparty.ca/en/about_us/elizabeth_may/biography http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/women/002026-411-e.html http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elizabeth_May
Chinese-Canadien Women
Denise Chong:
Achievements:
- Canadian writer and economist
- Worked at the Department of Finance-1975-80
- Worked as economic adviser to Pierre Trudeau-1980-84
- Writer’s books:
- “The Concubine’s Children: Portrait of a Family Divided”
- “The Girl in the Picture: The Story of Kim Phuc, the Photograph, and the Vietnam War”
- Both books nominated the “Governor-General’s Literary Non-Fiction Award”
Links: http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/index.cfm?PgNm=TCE&Params=A1ARTA0010395 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Denise_Chong
Olivia Chow:
Achievements:
- Member of the NDP Party
- First Asian woman elected as a Metro Toronto Councilor in 1991
- Toronto's first Children and Youth Advocate
- January 2006: Won Trinity-Spadina riding ? Became member of the H.o.C.
- Against Tony Ianno (Liberals) in the area
- Voted best city councillor 7 times, and best local politician 4 times by NOW and Eye magazine respectively
- Member of the Citizenship and Immigration committee, member of the Subcommittee on Agenda and Procedure on the Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration.
- Sub-member of the: Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development committee, the Human Resources, Social Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities committee, Status of Women Committee, and Transport, Infrastructure and Communities Committees,
Links: http://oliviachow.ndp.ca/en http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olivia_Chow http://webinfo.parl.gc.ca/MembersOfParliament/ProfileMP.aspx?Key=78598&SubSubject=1003&Language=E
Adrienne Clarkson:
Achievements:
- Accomplished journalist and stateswoman
- Served as 26th Governor General of Canada ? First Chinese woman and 2nd woman to hold position-1999-2005
- Well-known for broadcasting
- Made Governor General on advice from Jean Chretien
- Praised Operation Yellow Ribbon (9/11/2001) ? help memorial service to victims of terrorist attack
- Created Clarkson Cup (Women’s Hockey)
- Founded Institute for Canadian Citizenship (Stepped down from GG)
- Published book:
- “Heart Matters: Autorbiography” (3rd GG to do so)
- Appointed Officer of the Order of Canada-1992
- Chancellor and Principal Companion of Canada-1999
- Chairman for the first ever Man Asian Literary Prize
Links: http://www.gg.ca/gg/fgg/bios/03/index_e.asp http://www.adrienneclarkson.ca/author.html http://www.speakers.ca/clarkson_adrienne.aspx http://www.speakers.ca/clarkson_adrienne.aspx
Chan Hon Goh:
Achievements:
- Principal dancer for the National Ballet of Canada and The Suzanne Farrell
Ballet
- Acted as lead role in ballets such as “Romeo and Juliet”, “Swan Lake”, “The
Sleeping Beauty”, “Onegin” and the title roles in “Giselle”, “Madame Butterfly” and “La Sylphide”
- Silver medalist: Genne International Ballet Competition (First Canadian to do this)
- Autobiography: “Beyond the Dance: A Ballerina’s Life” which was a finalist for the 2003 Norma Fleck Award and the 2005 Rocky Mountain Book Award
- New Pioneers Arts Award-2005
- Created her own company that sells ballet footwear: Principal by Chan Han Goh
Links: http://www.chanhongoh.com/autobiography.shtml http://www.national.ballet.ca/thecompany/principals/chan_hon_goh.php http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chan_Hon_Goh
Vivienne Poy:
Achievements:
- Entrepreneur, fashion designer, community activist, senator, Chancellor Emerita
- First Chinese-Canadian Senator-1998
- President of Vivienne Poy Mode (Fashion)-1981
- Selected as Chancellor of University of Toronto-2002
- Sister-in-law to Adrienne Clarkson
- Author of four books: “A River Named Lee; Building Bridges: The Life and Times of Richard Charles Lee, Hong Kong, 1905- 1983”, “Citizenship and Immigration: the Chinese-Canadian Experience”, “The Nortel Networks' Canadian Studies Address No. 1.”and “Profit, Victory & Sharpness - The Lees of Hong Kong”
- Honorary Patrons: Ottawa Asian Heritage Month Society, Toronto’s Asian Heritage Month-Canadian Foundation for Asian Culture Inc., Vancouver’s Asian Heritage Month Society, Honorary Advisor to Montreal’s Accés Asie Festival, and Honorary Co-Chair of the Asian Heritage Foundation of Southern Alberta
Links: http://www.sen.parl.gc.ca/vpoy/english/Home-e.htm http://www.parl.gc.ca/common/senmemb/senate/isenator_det.asp?senator_id=146&sortord=&Language=E&M=M http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vivienne_Poy
Jenny Kwan:
Achievements:
- Elected to Vancouver City Councillor (youngest city councilor in Vancouver’s history)-1993
- Member of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia for NDP-1996
- One of the first Chinese-Canadians in the MLA
- First Chinese Canadian Cabinet Minister in B.C.
- Currently Opposition Caucus Chair and Opposition Critic for Economic Development
- Promoted to Cabinet Minister of Municipal Affairs-1998
- Minister of Women's Equality and Minister of Community Development, Cooperatives and Volunteers
Links: http://www.bcndpcaucus.ca/en/mla/jenny_kwan http://www.leg.bc.ca/mla/38thParl/kwan.htm http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jenny_Kwan
Addie Aylestock:
Achievements:
- The first ordained black woman minister in Canada
- Attended the Medical Missionary College and the Toronto Bible College
- Served in several British Methodist Episcopal Churches until she died in 1998
Links: http://www.canadianidentity.com http://famouscanadianwomen.com
Rosemary Brown:
Achievements:
- Served in the MLA of British Columbia Legislature-1972-86
- First Black Canadian woman to be elected to a Canadian provincial legislature
- Became a Professor of women's studies at Simon Fraser University
- Named an Officer of the Order of Canada-1996
- Awarded the Order of British Columbia-1995
- Awarded a Human Rights Fellowship by the United Nations-1973
- National Coalition of Canada award-1973
- Black Historical and Cultural Society of B.C. award-1984
- 15 honorary degrees from universities across Canada
- Worked with Children's Aid Society of Vancouver, the Riverview Mental Hospital, and the Montreal Children's Hospital
- Founded: Vancouver Status of Member Council, Institute of Public Affairs at Dalhousie University, and Judicial Council of BC
Links: http://nid-78.newsdetail.bc.ndp.ca/ http://www.heroines.ca/people/brown.html http://fcis.oise.utoronto.ca/~gpieters/brownbio.html
Daurene Lewis:
Achievements:
- Registered Nurse
- Elected Mayor of Annapolis Royal, making her the first female black mayor in North America-1984
- Former Executive Director of the Center for Women in Business at Mount Saint Vincent university
Awards:
- Added to the Nova Scotia Black Cultural Centre Wall of Honor-1994
- Doctor of Humane Letters from Mount Saint Vincent University-1993
- Global Citizenship Award commemorating the United Nations 50th Anniversary-1995
- Progress Club of Halifax Woman of Excellence award for Public Affairs and Communication-1998
- YWCA volunteer award-2002
- Queen’s Jubilee Medal-2002
- Order of Canada-2002
- Listed as one of the 100 Most Influential Black Canadians of Influence
Links: http://jamesrjohnstonchair.dal.ca/photo_gallery_and_biographies/Dr._Daurene_Lewis.php http://www.famouscanadians.net/name/l/lewisdaurene.php
Margaret Thatcher:
Achievements:
- First woman to lead a major European democracy
- Prime Minister of Britain from 1979-90
- Co-founder of a school of conservative conviction politics
- President of the Student Conservative Association at Oxford
- Conservative candidate running to represent Dartford at the General Elections of 1950 and 1951, youngest woman candidate in the country
- In 1970 she was Education Secretary in the Conservative Party
- First woman ever to lead a Western political party and to serve as Leader of the Opposition in the House of Commons
- Wrote two best-selling volumes of memoirs- The Downing Street Years and The Path to Power
Links: http://www.margaretthatcher.org/essential/biography.asp http://www.time.com/time/time100/leaders/profile/thatcher.html http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/COLDthatcher.htm
Aretha Franklin:
Achievements:
- A soul music performer, she has earned the title of “Lady Soul”
- Made her first recordings at the age of 14
- Her album “A Rose is Still a Rose” was a gold-selling Top 5 R&B and Top 30 pop single
Links: http://www.aretha-franklin.com/ http://www.sodamnhappy.com/
Oprah Winfrey:
Achievements:
- First woman in history to own and produce her own talk show
- Youngest person and the first African-American woman to anchor the Nashville WTVF-TV
- Made her acting debut in 1985 in “The Color Purple”
- Oprah’s Book Club is the largest book club in the world
Awards:
- Time Magazine- 100 Most Influential People in the World ( 2004-07)
- Time Magazine- 100 Most Influential People in the 20th century
- The Elie Wiesel Foundation for Humanity- 2007 Humanitarian Award
- The New York Public Library- Library Lion 2006
- National Civil Rights Museum- 2005 National Freedom Award
- National Association for the Advancement of Colored People- Hall of Fame
- International Academy of Television Arts and Sciences- 2005 International Emmy Founders Award
- United Nations Association of the United States of America- Global Humanitarian Action Award
- National Association of Broadcasters- Distinguished Service Award
- Association of American Publishers- AAP Honors Award
- 54th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards- Bob Hope Humanitarian Award
- Broadcasting and Cable- Hall of Fame
- National Book Foundation- 50th Anniversary Gold Medal
- National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences- Lifetime Achievement Award
- Newsweek- Most Important Person in Books and Media
- TV Guide- Television Performer of the Year
- International Radio and Television Society Foundation- Gold Medal Award
- George Foster Peabody Awards- 1995 Individual Achievement Award
Links: http://www.oprah.com/article/pressroom/20080602_orig_oprahsbio/9 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oprah_Winfrey http://www.woopidoo.com/biography/oprah-winfrey.htm http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001856/
