Catherine Clark
Encyclopedia
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
television broadcaster, and the daughter of former Canadian Prime Minister
Prime Minister of Canada
The Prime Minister of Canada is the primary minister of the Crown, chairman of the Cabinet, and thus head of government for Canada, charged with advising the Canadian monarch or viceroy on the exercise of the executive powers vested in them by the constitution...
Joe Clark
Joe Clark
Charles Joseph "Joe" Clark, is a Canadian statesman, businessman, and university professor, and former journalist and politician...
and Maureen McTeer
Maureen McTeer
Maureen Anne McTeer is a Canadian author and a lawyer, married to Joe Clark, the 16th Prime Minister of Canada.-Life and career:...
.
Life and career
Clark was born in OttawaOttawa
Ottawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...
, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
. Born the same year Joe Clark first became leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada
Progressive Conservative Party of Canada
The Progressive Conservative Party of Canada was a Canadian political party with a centre-right stance on economic issues and, after the 1970s, a centrist stance on social issues....
, Catherine Clark attended Elmwood School
Elmwood School (Ottawa)
Elmwood School is an independent day school for girls located in Rockcliffe Park in the city of Ottawa, Canada. It was founded in 1915 and is an International Baccalaureate World School...
in Rockcliffe Park, Ottawa as well as Neuchâtel Junior College
Neuchâtel Junior College
Neuchâtel Junior College is a private Canadian international school located in the French-speaking town of Neuchâtel, Switzerland.- Location :...
in Neuchâtel, Switzerland prior to pursuing studies in Art History
Art history
Art history has historically been understood as the academic study of objects of art in their historical development and stylistic contexts, i.e. genre, design, format, and style...
at the University of Toronto
University of Toronto
The University of Toronto is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution of higher learning in Upper Canada...
. Later she worked in public relations for Hill & Knowlton and the SMARTRISK Foundation.
She emerged as a media personality in 1998 for her father during his second term as leader of the party. Although the media and the public were initially drawn to her youthful perspective, she also proved to be a competent campaigner whose public image attracted attention at a time when the Progressive Conservatives needed it.
She played a prominent role in the federal election of 2000
Canadian federal election, 2000
The 2000 Canadian federal election was held on November 27, 2000, to elect 301 Members of Parliament of the Canadian House of Commons of the 37th Parliament of Canada....
, and was credited by her father as one of his most trusted political advisors. She has been an advocate for engaging youth in the political process.
In 2001, she began a career in broadcasting, hosting a television news magazine, Unzipped, for the new Canadian digital cable
Digital cable
Digital cable is a generic term for any type of cable television distribution using digital video compression or distribution. The technology was originally developed by Motorola.-Background:...
network ichannel
Ichannel
ichannel is a Canadian English language Category A specialty channel owned by Stornoway Communications. Its programs focus on public, social and current affairs...
. The show was cancelled the following year due to financial constraints and questionable content at the network, but Clark continued to work for the network in other capacities. In 2004, she joined Rogers Television
Rogers Television
Rogers TV, are community channels owned by Rogers Communications Inc. Many of these channels share common programs. Rogers TV broadcasts into the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador and Ontario. Rogers TV is available only in communities served by Rogers' cable and...
as host of a daily talk show in Ottawa.
On June 8, 2002, Clark married Chad Schella, formerly the Director of Player Services for the NHL Ottawa Senators
Ottawa Senators
The Ottawa Senators are a professional ice hockey team based in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...
. They have a daughter, Alexandra Charmaine Maureen Schella, born on May 26, 2006 and a son, Charles Roger Dennis Schella, born April 1, 2009. Clark took some time off from television after her daughter's birth, and subsequently joined CPAC, the Canadian parliamentary
Parliament of Canada
The Parliament of Canada is the federal legislative branch of Canada, seated at Parliament Hill in the national capital, Ottawa. Formally, the body consists of the Canadian monarch—represented by her governor general—the Senate, and the House of Commons, each element having its own officers and...
broadcaster. With CPAC, she has hosted Sunday Sound Off, a political debate and panel discussion show, and Beyond Politics, a talk show where she interviews Canadian politicians in depth about their lives outside of politics.
Clark is one of a number of children of former Prime Ministers who became notable media personalities or politicians in the early 21st century, along with Ben Mulroney
Ben Mulroney
Benedict Martin Paul "Ben" Mulroney is a Canadian television host, and is the son of former Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney.-Early life:...
, Justin Trudeau
Justin Trudeau
Justin Pierre James Trudeau, MP is a Canadian politician. He has represented the Montreal electoral division of Papineau in the Canadian House of Commons since 2008 as a member of the Liberal Party and currently serves as the party's critic for youth, post-secondary education, and amateur...
and Alexandre Trudeau
Alexandre Trudeau
Alexandre "Sacha" Trudeau is a Canadian filmmaker and journalist, and second son of Canada's former Prime Minister, the late Pierre Trudeau, and Margaret Trudeau.-Early life and education:...
.