Flora MacDonald (politician)

Flora MacDonald
Flora MacDonald in 1987
MacDonald, c. 1979
Secretary of State for External Affairs
In office
June 4, 1979 – March 2, 1980
Prime MinisterJoe Clark
Preceded byDon Jamieson
Succeeded byMark MacGuigan
Minister of Communications
In office
June 30, 1986 – December 7, 1988
Prime MinisterBrian Mulroney
Preceded byMarcel Masse
Succeeded byLowell Murray (acting)
Marcel Masse
Minister of Employment and Immigration
In office
September 17, 1984 – June 29, 1986
Prime MinisterBrian Mulroney
Preceded byJohn Roberts
Succeeded byBenoît Bouchard
Member of Parliament
for Kingston and the Islands
In office
October 30, 1972 – November 20, 1988
Preceded byEdgar Benson
Succeeded byPeter Milliken
Personal details
Born
Flora Isabel MacDonald

(1926-06-03)June 3, 1926
North Sydney, Nova Scotia, Canada
DiedJuly 26, 2015(2015-07-26) (aged 89)
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Political partyProgressive Conservative (1950s–2003)

Flora Isabel MacDonald PC CC OOnt ONS (June 3, 1926 – July 26, 2015) was a Canadian politician and humanitarian. Canada's first female foreign minister, she was also one of the first women to vie for leadership of a major Canadian political party, the Progressive Conservatives. She became a close ally of Prime Minister Joe Clark, serving in his cabinet from 1979 to 1980, as well as in the cabinet of Prime Minister Brian Mulroney from 1984 to 1988. In her later life, she was known for her humanitarian work abroad. Jimmy Carter has said that 90% of the contribution to freeing American hostages in Iran should be attributed to her and Kenneth D. Taylor.[1] The City of Ottawa recognised MacDonald on July 11, 2018, by naming a new bicycle and footbridge (opening 2019) over the Rideau Canal the Passerelle Flora Footbridge.

  1. ^ President Carter Fact-Checks the Movie 'Argo', March 8, 2013, retrieved December 25, 2023