Saturday's Child: Memoirs of Canada's First Female Cabinet Minister 9781487595098

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SATURDAY'S CHILD Ellen Fairclough is perhaps best known as the first woman in Canada to become a federal cabinet minister. John Diefenbaker appointed her Secretary of State in 1957. In the course of her career she also served as Minister of Citizenship and Immigration and Minister responsible for Indian Affairs, and was in charge of the National Gallery, the National Film Board, the Dominion Archives, and the National Library. She was also a chartered accountant, a business woman, a local politician in Hamilton, and a wife and mother. At a time when many people believed that a woman's place was in the home, she successfully balanced family obligations with a career in the largely male world of federal politics. Writing with the style and wit for which she was famous as a politician, Ellen Fairclough, now ninety, tells her story. Her reminiscences describe her early life, her efforts to become a business woman, and her experiences as a Progressive Conservative member for the constituency of Hamilton West (1950-63). Fairclough discusses the political factors that led to her appointment to the Diefenbaker cabinet, as well as other factors, including family values and the opportunities available in the bustling industrial city of Hamilton, that served as the context for her successes. While her story focuses on the politics involved, Fairclough also writes extensively about family life, friendships, and domestic detail. She attributes her success to the fact that she was a 'Saturday's child' who worked hard for what she achieved. The source of much media attention during her political career, Ellen Fairclough was often the only woman in a room full of men and, on one occasion, was asked to leave a cabinet meeting because the topic of discussion - sexual assault - might be too rough for her sensitive ears. Having no female role models to follow, Fairclough made her own rules and charted her own course. These memoirs make a fascinating contribution to the history of women and poitics in this country. ELLENLOUKS FAIRCLOUGH, Member of Parliament for Hamilton West (1950-63), was made a Companion of the Order of Canada in 1995. MARGARET CONRAD, professor of history at Acadia University, has written extensively on the history of women and twentieth-century political developments in Atlantic Canada, and is the author of George Nowlan: Maritime Conservative in National Politics.

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ELLEN LOUK S FAIRCLOUG H

Saturdays Child : Memoirs o f Canada's Firs t Female Cabinet Ministe r With an Introduction b y Margaret Conra d

UNIVERSITY O F TORONT O PRES S Toronto Buffal o Londo n

© University of Toronto Press Incorporated 1995 Toronto Buffalo London Printed in Canada Reprinted 1995 ISBN 0-8020-0736-8

Printed on acid-free paper

Canadian Cataloguing in Publication Data Fairclough, Ellen Saturday's child : memoirs of Canada's first female cabinet minister Includes index. ISBN 0-8020-0736-8 i. Fairclough, Ellen. 2. Cabinet ministers Canada — Biography.* 3. Women government executives - Canada - Biography. I. Title. FC6i6.F3A31995 97i.o64'i'o92 €95-931660-4 Fio34.3.F3A3 1995

Cover photo: Bill and Jean Newton Photography, City of Ottawa Archives University of Toronto Press acknowledges the financial assistance to its publishing program of the Canada Council and the Ontario Arts Council. This book has been published with the help of a grant from the Ellen Fairclough Foundation. Every effort has been made to obtain permission to reproduce the photographs that appear in this book. Any errors or omissions brought to our attention will be corrected in future printings. Unless otherwise indicated, photographs are from the Fairclough family collection.

Contents

INTRODUCTION b y Margaret Conrad vi i PREFACE xvi i ACKNOWLEDGMENTS xx i Prologue: The Fatefu l Da y 3 Part One: Comin g of Age in Hamilton, 1905–1931 9 1 Schoo l Days and Sunday s 1 3 2 Gir l of the New Da y 2 4 Part Two: A Woman to Be Reckoned With, 1931–1950 3 7 3 Doubl e Days: Family and Caree r 4 1 4 Day s and Night s in Civi c Politics 58 Part Three: Th e Ottaw a Years, 1950–196 3 6 9 5 Sala d Days: The Oppositio n Year s 7 3 6 Endles s Days: The Cabine t Years 9 8 7 Dar k Days : The Bitte r End 12 6 Part Four: Lif e after Politics, 1963–1995 13 7 8 Bus y Days: Bac k to Busines s 14 1 9 Memorie s of a Saturday's Child 15 1 INDEX 16 7

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Introduction

While watchin g new s coverag e o f th e Progressiv e Conservativ e Party' s leadership conventio n hel d i n Jun e 1993 , I wa s surprise d t o se e eighty eight-year-old Ellen Fairclough, the first woman t o sit in a Canadian federa l cabinet. Sh e move d th e nominatio n o f Ki m Campbell , wh o emerge d a s party leade r and firs t femal e Prim e Minister of Canada. Sinc e al l eyes were on Campbell , viewer s learned littl e abou t Elle n Fairclough . Nor, i t turne d out, ha d anyon e bothere d t o documen t he r pioneerin g contributio n t o Canadian politica l life . Wa s this yet another exampl e of the Canadia n ten dency t o ignor e it s heroes ? The nex t day , I wrot e t o Mr s Faircloug h t o inquire if anyone had bee n commissioned t o tell her story. If not, I brazenly asked, woul d sh e be prepared t o grant m e an intervie w t o discus s my writing he r biography ? She replie d immediately . Not onl y wa s sh e prepared , without having met me , to let me be her biographer; she had a 75,000-word memoir tha t woul d spee d m y progress . Apparently , tw o well-know n Tor onto publisher s ha d turne d dow n he r manuscript , on e edito r tellin g he r quite bluntly , 'we could no t find anyon e who eve r heard o f you.' I mad e arrangement s t o mee t Elle n Faircloug h a t he r Stanle y Avenue home i n Hamilto n late r that summer . When I arrived, a few minutes early , Ellen wa s in th e basemen t ironin g her sheets . As a baby-boomer , prepare d to suffe r th e hardshi p of sleeping with wrinkles, I was suitably impressed by this displa y o f domestic standard s an d discipline d wor k habits . I wa s also struck, lik e many peopl e befor e me , b y Ellen' s erect carriage , quic k move ments, an d infectiou s smile . I n shor t order , I wa s introduced t o he r hus band, Gordo n - he r frien d an d fa n fo r nearl y seventy-fiv e year s — and whisked of f t o th e Hamilto n Clu b fo r a leisurel y lunch. Th e Fairclough s

viii Introductio n were generous hosts and congenia l companions. Sinc e they had a previously arranged engagemen t late r tha t day , I lef t wit h th e rejecte d manuscrip t tucked securely under my arm . I spen t th e res t of that sunny , summer afternoo n a t a nearby Hes s Street restaurant, sipping Perrier water and reading 'Saturday's Child.' It was a good read. Whil e th e manuscrip t neede d som e editoria l attention , i t was crisply written an d gav e a clea r pictur e o f th e majo r development s i n Elle n Fair clough's lon g life . Surely , I reasoned , thi s document , writte n i n th e nint h decade of her life by one of Canada's significant 'first' women, deserved a better fat e tha n t o b e mine d fo r informatio n b y academic vulture s such a s I. Having rea d th e memoir s of several of her politica l colleagues, I recognized Ellen Fairclough' s manuscrip t a s bot h mor e economica l i n lengt h (than k goodness!) and les s structured by research advisers than i s often the case. This was no long-winded effor t t o chronicle great achievements or to rewrite history, but an honest attempt to describe the progress of a life by a woman wh o sees it as 'bad manners ' t o tak e oneself too seriously. Having a n academi c interes t i n women' s autobiographica l writing , I immediately recognize d othe r feature s o f Elle n Fairclough' s memoi r tha t made it special. Scholars are now beginning to distinguish a woman's way of seeing th e worl d tha t reflect s the affectiv e an d emotiona l relationship s that typically have defined women's rol e in society.1 Thus Ellen Fairclough, chartered accountant , civi c leader, and federa l politician, devote s mor e space i n her memoirs to famil y life, friendships, and domesti c detail than one would expect t o find in the reflections of a man with a similar career profile. Many people readin g Ellen' s manuscript, perhaps even the editor s who ha d earlier turned it down, would argue that it is 'thin' because it places too little emphasis on politica l analysis and to o muc h on privat e matters. In writing her memoirs , Elle n was concerned with tellin g her lif e story, 2 not wit h providing an analysi s of her contribution t o politics . As such, this 1 Th e debat e on this issue was brought into focus by Carol Gilligan in her innovative study In a Different Voice: Psychological Theory an d Women's Development (Cambridge, Mass., 1982). 2 O n thi s topic, see the pioneering work of Estelle C. Jelinek, The Tradition o f Women's Autobiography: From Antiquity t o the Present (Boston, 1986), and he r earlier , edited volume , Women's Autobiography: Essays i n Criticism (Bloomington, Ind., 1980).

Introduction i x book i s a significan t contribution t o ou r understandin g o f ho w a woma n who cam e of age in the 1920s became a successful wife and mother , business woman, an d membe r o f Parliament at a time when few women o f any class or cultur e i n Canad a coul d 'd o i t all. ' Elle n Faircloug h quit e correctl y attributes he r succes s t o th e fac t tha t sh e wa s a 'Saturday' s child, ' wh o worked har d fo r what sh e achieved, bu t othe r factor s also played a role. I n particular, th e famil y an d communit y contex t i n whic h sh e worke d wer e critical t o th e wa y he r lif e unfolded . Sh e describe s thi s contex t i n som e detail i n th e followin g pages . The histor y o f women i n forma l politic s i n Canad a i s confined almos t entirely t o th e twentiet h century . Elle n Faircloug h wa s thirtee n year s ol d when laws were passed i n 1918 to permit women t o vote in federa l elections . Prior t o he r successfu l bi d fo r the constituenc y of Hamilton West i n April 1950, onl y five women ha d manage d t o wi n seat s i n th e Hous e o f Com mons.3 None had bee n appointed t o th e cabinet. Ho w did Elle n Fairclough succeed wher e others had failed ? The answe r to this question lies, i n part, in the histor y of the Conserva tive Party in Canada. Despit e effort s t o mak e itself attractive to th e elector ate, th e part y of Sir John A. Macdonald ha d difficult y winnin g elections in the firs t hal f o f th e twentiet h century . Th e Liberal s characterize d thei r opponents as the party of big business, Ontario, and th e British connection, a description tha t containe d mor e than a grain of truth. I n th e general election o f 1940 , th e Liberal s under Willia m Lyo n Mackenzi e Kin g swep t t o victory wit h 18 4 seats, while th e Nationa l Conservative s manage d t o wi n only 4 0 seats , 2 5 o f the m i n th e Tor y heartlan d o f Ontario . Eve n thei r leader, Rober t Manion, los t his seat. Refusin g t o b e consigned t o oblivion, committed Torie s mad e ye t anothe r attemp t t o reinven t thei r part y t o appeal t o Canadians. 4 A t thei r leadership convention i n Winnipe g i n 1942, they chos e Joh n Bracken , th e Progressiv e Premie r o f Manitoba , a s thei r leader, approved a 'progressive' platform, and adopte d th e name 'Progressiv e 3 A recent study by Sydney Sharpe, Th e Gilded Ghetto: Women an d Political Power i n Canada (Toronto , 1994), usefully survey s the fat e o f women i n th e forma l politica l arena. 4 Larr y A. Glassford , Reaction and Reform: Th e Politics of the Conservative Party under R.B. Bennett, 1927-1938 (Toronto, 1992); J.L. Granatstein, Th e Politics of Survival: Th e Conservative Party o f Canada, 1939-1945(Toronto, 1967).

x Introductio n Conservative' fo r thei r party . Th e part y wo n onl y 6 8 seat s i n 1945 , agai n mostly in Ontario, bu t th e tren d was, fo r them, i n the righ t direction . Under George Drew, the Ontario Premie r who was chosen national leader in 1948, Progressive Conservative organizer s positioned their party to toppl e the Liberals. In their efforts t o do so, they made a special pitch to women vot ers. Ellen Fairclough was targeted as a possible winner in Hamilton West. She did not disappoint and, indeed, probably surprised the 'backroom boys' with her vote-catching ability. Although sh e lost in Hamilton Wes t i n the general election o f 1949, she was able to win a by-election th e followin g year. Once in th e House , sh e proved he r wort h an d coul d no t b e ignore d whe n Joh n Diefenbaker le d the part y to victory in 1957. Despite hi s suspicions that she was one of his 'enemies,' h e appointed he r to the Secretary of State portfolio. Ellen Fairclough's elevation to the cabinet came a generation after wome n in Great Britai n and th e United State s made a similar breakthrough. In 1929 Margaret Bondfleld , a seasoned politica l activist, was appointed Minister of Labour b y the governin g Labour Part y i n Grea t Britain . Four years later, in the Unite d States , Democrati c Presiden t Frankli n Roosevel t chos e socia l reformer France s Perkins to b e his Secretary of Labor. 5 Ellen Fairclough also served as Labour critic for the Progressive Conservatives when they occupied the Opposition benches , but, for reasons revealed in the following pages, she was not Diefenbaker' s choice fo r that portfolio. While Elle n wa s the lon e woma n i n a cabine t o f men, sh e was not th e only woman i n Canadian politics . Women becam e involved in formal part y structures a s soon a s they were granted suffrage , bu t the y were relegated t o auxiliaries and supportin g roles rathe r than t o th e fron t line s of party activity.6 Elle n serve d he r tim e i n th e lowe r ranks , workin g activel y i n th e Ontario Youn g Conservative s i n th e 19305 . I n th e followin g decad e sh e became involved i n Hamilton civi c politics, often th e first rung of the polit ical ladde r fo r women . Sh e als o raise d mone y fo r th e part y and , a s a n accountant, worke d closel y wit h a numbe r o f ke y figure s i n Hamilton' s business and professiona l circles. 5 Bondfiel d title d he r memoir s A Life's Work (London , 1948) . Although Perkins produce d no autobiographica l accoun t o f her career, she published Th e Roosevelt I Knew (Ne w York, 1946) a s well as a policy analysis , People a t Work (Ne w York , 1934) .

6 Sylvi a B. Bashevkin, Toeing the Lines: Women and Party Politics in English Canada, 2 nd ed . (Toronto, 1993) , chap. 3.

Introduction x i Although othe r Canadia n wome n worke d i n th e bac k room s o f politica l parties and served on tow n councils, the y did no t become cabine t ministers . A numbe r of factors combine d t o enable Ellen Fairclough t o brea k throug h the 'glass ceiling' tha t had hithert o blocked women's advancement i n federal politics. Among th e mos t importan t influence s on he r lif e was the famil y in which sh e wa s raised . Agne s Macphail , Canada' s firs t woma n MP , onc e quipped, 'Perhap s i f I owe d m y fathe r the abilit y to ge t int o Parliament , I owed m y mothe r th e ability to stand i t when I got there.' 7 In slightl y differ ent words, Ellen Fairclough make s the sam e point abou t he r ow n family , i n which he r father , Norma n Cook , was clearly the hea d o f the famil y but he r mother, Nelli e Louks , wa s th e soli d centre , keepin g boarder s t o mak e money, urgin g regular attendance a t Zion Methodis t Church , and counsel ling her five surviving children with truths passed dow n from her Hugueno t ancestors. Elle n learne d lesson s i n famil y responsibilit y earl y i n life , mos t notably during the devastating influenza epidemic that hi t Hamilton in late 1918, and applie d what sh e learned t o bot h he r private and he r public activities. The cit y of Hamilton wa s the crucible in which Elle n Fairclough's politi cal career was forged. The Cooks - migrant s to Hamilton fro m rura l Nor folk Count y i n 190 4 - wer e amon g th e thousand s o f peopl e attracte d t o urban centre s during the industria l boom tha t swept Canad a at th e tur n of the century . With it s steel mills and branche s of American firms , Hamilto n in 190 4 offered man y opportunitie s to thos e willing to wor k har d an d tak e risks. Norma n Coo k was prepared t o d o both . H e worke d a s a contractor in th e housing boo m tha t accompanie d th e doubling of Hamilton's popula 7 Margaret Stewart and Dori s French, Ask No Quarter: A Biography o f Agnes Macphail (Toronto, 1959) , 27.

8 There are several excellent scholarly sources on th e history of Hamilton in the post-Con federation period , including John C. Weaver , Hamilton: An Illustrated History (Toronto , 1984), and Bria n Palmer , A Culture in Conflict: Skilled Workers and Industrial Capitalism in Hamilton, 1860-1914 (Montreal , 1979). Craig Heron , Working in Steel: Th e Early Years in Canada, i88}-io}