44th Parl. 1st Sess.

September 18, 2023 11:00AM

Context: House Hansard - 219 - Sep/18/23

Hon. Pascale St-Onge (Minister of Canadian Heritage, Lib.)

Sep/18/23 3:40:55 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, today we pay tribute to the tremendous contributions of a woman who helped blaze a trail for all the other women who followed her into the House of Commons, none other than the Hon. Monique Bégin. Her deeply Liberal values of feminism, social justice and equity guided her career and her vast political achievements, which have shaped modern-day Canada. We begin with a look back at her early days in politics. In 1968, only one woman was elected to the House of Commons. In 1972, Monique Bégin courageously became one the first three women members of Parliament from Quebec. My friend and colleague, the hon. member for Parliament for Toronto—St. Paul's, said it best in the piece she wrote in the Star, “she had titanium in her spine.” When she entered the House of Commons for the first time back then, a guard stopped her at the entrance along with another woman MP. It never crossed his mind that women could be members of Parliament. Thanks to her, my fellow women MPs and I pass through the door today without any problem. A huge piece of her Canadian identity and pride came from her work as health minister. The principles of our universal health care system were made real in the Canada Health Act, which she brought forward. Before that, many Canadians could not get the care they needed simply because they could not afford it. Now our health care system is built on the promise that, no matter where they live or how much money they earn, everyone is entitled to receive the health care they need. What made her the proudest of all was the adoption of the child tax credit, which paved the way for the current Canada child benefit. That policy is still helping families make ends meet. She was a formidable minister of national health and welfare, as well as national revenue in the Liberal government of Pierre Elliott Trudeau. Her politics were led by her fierce feminism. Before being elected as executive secretary to the Royal Commission on the Status of Women, Monique Bégin helped bring 167 courageous recommendations on reducing gender inequality. The policies that she introduced later in Parliament were inevitably based on her commitment to improving women's lives in Canada. A true feminist pioneer and trailblazer. Monique Bégin embodied the best that the Canadian government has to offer: a country where legislation and programs seek to create greater fairness and more opportunities for everyone, regardless of gender, background, beliefs or economic status; a place where the Canadian government is doing positive things, building a better future for the generations to come and strengthening the democratic institutions put in place by those who came before us; a country that fundamentally believes that women and men are equal. At a time in our history when some are questioning the role of the state, Monique Bégin's legacy reminds us that the government is forged first and foremost by the hopes carried by everyone in this place and that, if we can dream of justice, equity, sharing and empathy, we have the capacity to make them a reality. To her loved ones, we offer our deepest condolences and our thanks for sharing her with Canada and with Parliament.

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House Hansard - 219