Source: National Archives & Historic Records of Canada
Politics • Historical Archive • 🇨🇦 Canada • 1 views

Flora MacDonald 🇨🇦

Flora Isabel MacDonald (Known as "Flora")
First Female Minister of Foreign Affairs, Humanitarian Activist
Born 3 June 1926 🇨🇦 North Sydney, Canada
Passed Away 26 July 2015 Ottawa, Canada
Lifespan 89 years old
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Notice / Correction
"Foreign policy is not abstract theory; it is having the courage to protect innocent human lives when the world is looking the other way."

Archival Overview

First woman to serve as Secretary of State for External Affairs, who managed the 'Canadian Caper' in Iran and dedicated her retirement to humanitarian work in Afghanistan.

Biographical Record

Flora Isabel MacDonald was born in North Sydney, Cape Breton, into a Scottish-Canadian family. Working her way up through party administration, she was elected Member of Parliament for Kingston and the Islands in 1972 and contested the Progressive Conservative leadership in 1976 as a pioneering red tory.

In 1979, Prime Minister Joe Clark appointed MacDonald Secretary of State for External Affairs, making her the first woman to direct Canadian foreign policy. During her tenure, she courageously directed the rescue of six American diplomats hidden in Tehran during the Iranian Hostage Crisis (the 'Canadian Caper'). In retirement, she traveled over a dozen times to war-torn Afghanistan, directing female literacy and clean water projects.

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Final Resting Place

Perpetual Memorial
Lakeside Cemetery
North Sydney, Canada
GPS: 46.2100, -60.2500
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