Catherine Callbeck was the 28th premier of Prince Edward Island from 1993 to 1996, the third female premier in Canadian history, and the first to win a general election.
23 Facts About Catherine Callbeck
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Catherine Callbeck was a member of the Senate of Canada from 1997 until her retirement in 2014.
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Catherine Callbeck received a Bachelor of Commerce degree from Mount Allison University in 1960 and a Bachelor of Education degree from Dalhousie University in 1962.
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Catherine Callbeck took post-graduate courses in business administration from Syracuse University.
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Catherine Callbeck was appointed to Cabinet as Minister of Health and Social Services and Minister Responsible for Disabled Persons.
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Catherine Callbeck decided not to seek re-election in 1978 in order to work in the family business.
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Catherine Callbeck returned to politics in 1988 when she was elected to the federal House of Commons as an MP for the Liberal Party of Canada.
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Catherine Callbeck was the MP for Malpeque during the 34th Canadian Parliament.
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Catherine Callbeck held various Critic responsibilities in the national Liberal caucus of Liberal Party Leader John Turner and Jean Chretien.
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Catherine Callbeck was Critic for Finance, Critic for Consumer and Corporate Affairs, Assistant Critic for Treasury Board, and Critic for Energy, Mines and Resources.
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In January 1993, Catherine Callbeck returned to provincial politics to successfully run for the leadership of the Prince Edward Island Liberal Party and was appointed Premier on 25 January.
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Catherine Callbeck was premier at the same time as the other three most important public offices in the province were held by women: Elizabeth II was Sovereign in Prince Edward Island, Marion Reid was the Lieutenant Governor, and Patricia Mella was the Leader of the Official Opposition.
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When Catherine Callbeck came into office, the project was stalled because of an impasse between federal and provincial officials.
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Catherine Callbeck worked closely with the federal public works minister to resolve the issues, and the resulting constitutional change paved the way for the largest capital project in the history of the province.
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Catherine Callbeck resigned in October 1996 after only three and a half years as PEI's premier.
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On September 22,1997, Catherine Callbeck was appointed to the Senate of Canada by Prime Minister Jean Chretien.
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Catherine Callbeck sat on numerous Standing Committees and held membership on others.
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Catherine Callbeck initiated the motion that led to the Senate's first study on post-secondary education in more than 20 years.
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Catherine Callbeck left the senate at the mandatory retirement age of 75.
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On September 29,2018, Catherine Callbeck was appointed as Chancellor of the University of Prince Edward Island by the university's Board of Governors.
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Catherine Callbeck is the ninth chancellor in the history of UPEI.
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Catherine Callbeck was named a member of the Order of Canada in 2015 and a member of the Order of PEI in 2017.
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Catherine Callbeck holds honorary degrees from Mount Allison University and the University of Prince Edward Island.