Sheila Copps
Sheila Maureen Copps OC (born November 27, 1952 in Hamilton , Ontario ) is a Canadian journalist , author, politician and member of the Canadian Privy Council . She was Minister for Culture and Canada and Environment Minister for Canada.
Copps comes from a political family that is highly regarded in Hamilton. Her father is Victor Copps , one of the most influential mayors of the city of Hamilton. Her mother, Geraldine Copps, is a longtime councilor for Hamilton.
Sheila Copps belonged to the left wing of the Liberal Party of Canada until 2004 . In her political career she campaigned for the rights of women and minorities. She is also committed to protecting the environment.
Career
Copps graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in French and English from the University of Western Ontario in London, Ontario . She then worked as a journalist for the Hamilton Spectator and Ottawa Citizen .
1977 started Copps for the first time in the election to the state parliament of Ontario for the Ontario Liberal Party in the constituency Hamilton Center and lost with only 14 votes against the incumbent Mike Davison, the Ontario New Democratic Party .
For the next four years she worked as an assistant to the party chairman Stuart Smith in his constituency before she stood in the election for the state parliament of Ontario in 1981 and won against Mike Davison. In 1982 she became chair of the Ontario Liberal Party.
In 1984 she turned to national politics and won her constituency, Hamilton East , in the general election . She moved into the House of Commons of Canada for the Liberal Party of Canada .
Copps became an influential politician in the small liberal opposition who openly opposed Prime Minister Brian Mulroney and his government. After two years in the Canadian House of Commons, she published her autobiography Nobody's Baby and was already the first woman Prime Minister in Canada.
In 1988 she was re-elected to the House of Commons and ran for the Liberal party leadership in 1990. In the election she came in third.
In the 1993 general election, the Liberals became the strongest force and Jean Chrétien became Prime Minister. He brought Copps to Canada's 26th cabinet as Environment Minister and made her the first woman ever to be Deputy Prime Minister of Canada . In a cabinet reshuffle in 1996, she gave up the office of environment minister and became Minister for Canadian Culture. After the 1997 general election, Sheila Copps gave up her post as Deputy Prime Minister .
After Jean Chrétien no longer ran in 2004, Copps ran for the Liberal party chairmanship. It was only supported by a few MPs, such as Charles Caccia , and lost to favorite Paul Martin , who also became Prime Minister of Canada in 2004. After that, she no longer ran for election to the House of Commons.
Works
- Nobody's baby. A Survival Guide to Politics. Deneau Verlag, 1986, ISBN 0-88879-135-6
- Worth fighting for. McClelland & Stewart Publishers, 2004, ISBN 0-7710-2282-4
Web links
- Sheila Copps - biographical information on the website of the Canadian Parliament (English)
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Copps, Sheila |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Copps, Sheila Maureen (full name) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Canadian journalist, author and politician |
| DATE OF BIRTH | November 27, 1952 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Hamilton , Ontario |