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Catherine Sophia Callbeck
Premier from 1993 to 1996
CATHERINE CALLBECK WAS BORN on the 25th of July, 1939, the daughter of Ruth and Ralph Callbeck of Central
Bedeque.
She received her early education at
Central Bedeque School and Summerside High School. She later received a
Bachelor of Commerce degree from Mt. Allison University and a Bachelor of
Education degree from Dalhousie University in 1960 and 1963 respectively. She
also completed post-graduate courses in business administration at Syracuse
University.
After a period teaching business in New
Brunswick and Ontario, Ms. Callbeck returned to Prince Edward Island where she
became involved with the family business, Callbeck's Ltd. of Central
Bedeque.
She was elected to the Prince Edward
Island Legislative Assembly in 1974 as the member for the Fourth District of
Prince. From 1974 to 1978 she served as Minister of Health & Social
Services and as Minister Responsible for the Disabled. In 1978 she left
provincial politics and returned to the family business.
Ms. Callbeck was elected as Member of
Parliament for Malpeque in 1988 and during her time in the House of Commons she
served as the official opposition critic for Consumer and Corporate Affairs;
Energy, Mines and Resources; Financial Institutions and as Associate Critic for
Privatization and Regulatory Affairs. She was also the vice chair for the
caucus committee on sustainable development.
She was elected leader of the Liberal
Party of Prince Edward Island on January 23, 1993 and was sworn in as Premier
and President of the Executive Council on January 25, 1993. She was elected as
the Member of the Legislative Assembly for the First District of Queens in the
general election of March 29, 1993. She was the first woman in Canada to be
elected as Premier. While in office she was presented with an Honourary
Doctorate of Laws by Mount Allison University of New Brunswick and was named
Sponsor of the HMCS Charlottetown. In October 1996 she retired from provincial
political life and returned to the family business.
On September 23, 1997, Ms. Callbeck was
called to the Senate of Canada.
Also in the fall of 1997 Ms. Callbeck was
presented with the prestigious Rural Beautification Shaw Award for her
contribution to the enhancement of the rural life on Prince Edward Island.
In the spring of 1998, Senator Callbeck
was named a director of the Mutual Fund Dealers Association.
Ms. Callbeck has had a long and active
involvement with charitable and public service groups and organizations at all
levels. Among other positions, she has served as Chairperson of the Board of
Confederation Centre of the Arts, as a member of the Board of Regents of Mt.
Allison University, as a member of the Board of Governors of the University of
Prince Edward Island, as a member of the Maritime Provinces Higher Education
Commission, and as a board member of the Institute for Research in Public
Policy. Her charitable activities include being a director of the PEI United
Fund, a director of the Canadian Heart Foundation (PEI Division) and a member of
the provincial Committee for the International Year of the Disabled. She also
served on several committees and in several capacities in and around her home
village of Central Bedeque.
Ms. Callbeck is a member of the Bedeque
United Church. She has served as an Elder, and a member of the Prince Edward
Island United Church Presbytery.
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