Logo

14 Facts About Margaret Birch

1.

Margaret Birch was a Canadian politician in Ontario.

2.

Margaret Birch was a Progressive Conservative member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1971 to 1985 who represented the east Toronto riding of Scarborough East.

3.

Margaret Birch served as a cabinet minister in the government of William Davis.

4.

Margaret Birch was the first female cabinet minister in Ontario.

5.

Margaret Birch was chair of the Scarborough Board of Health from 1963 to 1971, was on the Mental Health Council from 1967 to 1971, and was vice-chairman of the Social Planning Council from 1967 to 1970.

6.

Margaret Birch served on the Board of Governors for Scarborough Centenary Hospital.

7.

Margaret Birch became the first woman member of the conservative Albany Club of Toronto, proposed by the then premier, Bill Davis.

8.

Margaret Birch married Guy Birch in 1949, a newspaper editor.

9.

The Margaret Birch Wing was opened at the Centenary Hospital in 1986, now part of the Rouge Valley Health System.

10.

Margaret Birch was elected to the Ontario legislature in the 1971 provincial election, defeating incumbent Liberal Tim Reid by 670 votes in Scarborough East.

11.

Margaret Birch was promoted to Provincial Secretary for Social Development on February 26,1974.

12.

Margaret Birch had wanted to leave office in 1981 but was persuaded by Davis to stay on.

13.

In 1974, Margaret Birch became involved in policy discussions about child care.

14.

Margaret Birch endorsed Dennis Timbrell to succeed Davis as party leader in February 1985.