Catherine Callbeck

Catherine Sophia Callbeck CM OPEI (born July 25, 1939) is a Canadian retired politician.

She 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 (the first female premier, Rita Johnston of British Columbia, became premier after winning the party leadership but lost the subsequent election; the second, Nellie Cournoyea of the Northwest Territories, was elected premier by MLAs following a non-partisan consensus government election). She was subsequently a member of the Senate of Canada from 1997 until her retirement in 2014.

Born in Central Bedeque, Prince Edward Island, the daughter of Ralph R. Callbeck and Ruth Campbell,^[1] she received a Bachelor of Commerce degree from Mount Allison University in 1960 and a Bachelor of Education degree from Dalhousie University in 1962. She took post-graduate courses in business administration from Syracuse University.^[2]

Callbeck was a business teacher in New Brunswick and Ontario before returning to the island to enter the family retail business.^[1]

Early political career

A Liberal, she was first elected to the Legislative Assembly of Prince Edward Island in 1974. She was appointed to Cabinet as Minister of Health and Social Services and Minister Responsible for Disabled Persons. She decided not to seek re-election in 1978 in order to work in the family business.

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.

Premier of Prince Edward Island

In January 1993 she returned to provincial politics to successfully run for the leadership of the Prince Edward Island Liberal Party and was appointed Premier on 25 January. Under her leadership the Liberals won the 1993 provincial election, making her the first female leader of a political party in Canada to lead her party to victory in a general election.

Callbeck was premier at the same time as the other three most important public offices in the province were also 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.

Callbeck's time in office was marked by significant progress. Spurred by new investments in food processing, manufacturing, aerospace and information technology, the rate of economic growth between 1993 and 1996 was the second highest in Canada. The number of people working in the province reached an all-time record high. The unemployment rate dropped by a whopping seven per cent, the largest reduction of any province in Canada.

Coming into office, the Callbeck government pledged to bring the high budget deficit under control. Under her predecessor, the deficit had risen to an all-time high of $89 million. Through a combination of rising revenues due to the stronger economy, and what a national accounting firm called one of the most aggressive deficit cutting strategies in the country, the Callbeck government brought in a surplus budget in 1995-96. it was the first budget surplus in a decade.

Reaching a surplus budget, however, did not come without a political cost. Public service salary rollbacks were widely opposed by public service unions - but no jobs were cut.

There were other accomplishments. A new agreement on electricity with New Brunswick resulted in lower electrical costs. A new waste management project put Prince Edward Island as a leader in Canada in reducing the amount of waste going into landfills. In keeping with Callbeck's commitment to strengthen social programs, new investments were made in health and education.

There were significant reforms. Municipal amalgamation reduced duplication and overlap in the province's larger municipalities. The number of government departments, agencies and crown corporations was reduced. A new electoral system replaced the previous 16 dual-member ridings to 27 single-member ridings. It was the first significant electoral reform in more than a century.

Callbecks' time in office saw the beginning of construction of the Confederation Bridge linking Prince Edward Island to New Brunswick. When Callbeck came into office, the project was stalled because of an impasse between federal and provincial officials. She 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.

in just over three years, the Callbeck government achieved a major turnaround in the outlook of the province, and inspired renewed confidence in its people.

Senator

In September 1997 she was appointed on the recommendation of Jean Chrétien to the Senate.

On January 29, 2014, Liberal Party leader Justin Trudeau announced all Liberal Senators, including Callbeck, were removed from the Liberal caucus, and would continue sitting as Independents.^[3] The Senators referred to themselves as the Senate Liberal Caucus even though they were no longer members of the parliamentary Liberal caucus.^[4]

Callbeck retired from the Senate on July 25, 2014, when she reached the upper house's mandatory retirement age.

See also

• List of female first ministers in Canada

References

• MacKinnon, Wayne, Catherine Callbeck - the Politics of Principle, JHB Publishing, 2012

External links

• Catherine Callbeck – Parliament of Canada biography