Kim Campbell
Encyclopedia
Avril Phædra Douglas "Kim" Campbell, (born March 10, 1947) is a Canadian politician
, lawyer
, university professor, diplomat
, and writer
. She served as the 19th Prime Minister of Canada
, serving from June 25, 1993, to November 4, 1993 (132 days). Campbell was the first and to date the only female Prime Minister of Canada, the first baby boomer
to hold that office, and the only PM to have been born in British Columbia
.
to George Thomas Campbell (1920–2002) and Phyllis "Lisa" Cook. Her mother left the family when Campbell was 12, leaving Kim and her sister Alix to be raised by their father. As a teenager, Campbell permanently nicknamed herself Kim, perhaps for actress Kim Novak
, as well as because "Kim" resembles the first syllable of Campbell when said in a Highlander accent (by a non-Highlander).
While in her pre-teens, Campbell was a host and reporter on the CBC
children's program Junior Television Club
.
Campbell and her family moved to Vancouver
, where she attended Prince of Wales Secondary School
, and was a top student. She became the school's first female student president, and graduated in 1964.
degree in Political Science from the University of British Columbia
, graduating in 1969. She was active in the student government and served as the school's first female president of the freshman class. She then completed a year of graduate study at that school, to qualify for doctoral-level studies. Campbell entered the London School of Economics
in 1970 to study towards her doctorate
in Soviet Government, and spent three months touring the Soviet Union
, from April to June 1972. She had spent several years studying the Russian language
, and was close to being fluent. Campbell ultimately left her doctoral studies, returning to live in Vancouver after marrying Nathan Divinsky
, her longtime partner, in 1972. She earned, in 1983, an LL.B.
from the University of British Columbia
. She was called
to the British Columbia Bar
in 1984, and practised law in Vancouver
until 1986.
. While still attending law school, she entered politics as a trustee on the Vancouver School Board
, becoming, in 1983, the chair of that board and serving in 1984 as its vice-chair. She once claimed to have told the board to "back off" although others alleged that she said "fuck off," which author Gordon Donaldson
compares to Pierre Trudeau
's "fuddle duddle
" incident. In total, she was a trustee there from 1980 to 1984 (Divinsky also had been chair). Campbell and Divinsky were divorced in 1983, and Campbell married Howard Eddy in 1986, a marriage that lasted until shortly before she became prime minister. Campbell is the second prime minister of Canada to have been divorced, after Pierre Trudeau
.
She briefly dated Gregory Lekhtman
, the inventor of Exerlopers, during her term as prime minister, but the relationship was relatively private and she did not involve him in the election campaign
. She is currently in a common-law marriage
to Hershey Felder
, an actor, playwright, composer, and concert pianist. Although childless, she remains close to Nathan Divinsky's daughter Pamela.
, getting 19,716 votes (23.2%, also in a double member riding).
as a Progressive Conservative
in Vancouver Centre
, in downtown Vancouver. She won, in a surprise outcome, and immediately joined the cabinet
, becoming Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development (1989–1990). She later became Canada's first female Minister of Justice
and Attorney General
(1990–1993). She was then appointed as the first female Minister of National Defence after Mulroney shuffled his cabinet in 1993.
announced his retirement from politics, to take effect June 25, 1993. Campbell entered the PC Party leadership race, to succeed Mulroney. She defeated Jean Charest
at the Progressive Conservative leadership convention that June, and Governor General
Ray Hnatyshyn
formally appointed her Prime Minister on June 25. As a concession to Charest, Campbell appointed him to the posts of Deputy Prime Minister
and Minister of Industry, Science and Technology, the first a largely symbolic, and the second a significant cabinet portfolio position.
Canada poll showed Campbell as having a 51 percent approval rating, which placed her as Canada's most popular prime minister in 30 years. By the end of the summer, her personal popularity had increased greatly, far surpassing that of Liberal Party
leader Jean Chrétien
. Support for the Progressive Conservative Party had also increased to within a few points of the Liberals, while the Reform Party
had been reduced to single digits.
Campbell was the only Canadian prime minister not to have resided at 24 Sussex Drive
since that address became the official home of the Prime Minister of Canada in 1951. Initially, Campbell's predecessor Mulroney remained at 24 Sussex while renovations on his new home in Montreal
were being completed. Campbell instead took up residence at Harrington Lake
, the PM's summer and weekend retreat, located in rural Quebec, north of Ottawa, and she did not move into 24 Sussex after Mulroney left. Like Charles Tupper
and John Turner
, Campbell never sat in Parliament as Prime Minister, as her term was filled by the summer break and the election campaign.
was called in the fall of 1993, the party had high hopes that it would be able to remain in power and, if not, would at least be a strong opposition to a Liberal minority government
. The election had to be called at that time, since the government mandate for a maximum of five years was set to expire; thus, Campbell had no choice on the timing of the election.
event that it was unlikely that the deficit or unemployment would be much reduced before the "end of the century". During the election campaign, she further stated that discussing a complete overhaul of Canada's social policies in all their complexities could not be done in just 47 days; this statement was reduced to her having stated that an election is no time to discuss important issues.
Some have pointed to her gender as a major contributing factor to her historic loss. University of New Brunswick
professor Joanna Everitt writes that while media simply reported the facts about rival male leaders such as Jean Chrétien, Campbell's actions were usually interpreted as having some motive (drawing up support, appealing to a group, etc.).
The Conservatives support tailed off rapidly as the campaign progressed. By October, it was obvious that Campbell and the Tories would not be re-elected. All polls showed the Liberals were on their way to at least a minority government, and would probably win a majority without dramatic measures. However, Campbell was still personally more popular than Chrétien. Knowing this, the Conservative campaign team put together a series of ads attacking the Liberal leader
. The second ad appeared to mock Chrétien's Bell's Palsy
facial paralysis, and generated a severe backlash from all sides. Even some Tory candidates called for the ad to be pulled from broadcasts. Campbell claims to have not been directly responsible for the ad, and to have ordered it off the air over her staff's objections.
The ad controversy was widely regarded as the final nail in Campbell's prime ministerial coffin. Conservative support plummeted, all but assuring that the Liberals would win a majority government, short of a complete meltdown in the dying days of the campaign. Canadian humorist Will Ferguson
suggested that this incident meant Campbell should receive "some of the blame" for her party's losses, though "taking over the party leadership from Brian (Mulroney) was a lot like taking over the controls of a 747 just before it plunges into the Rockies."
The Somalia Affair
took place during her "watch" as Minister of National Defence, and became a handicap during her subsequent period of public life. When the Liberal Party of Canada took power, the incident became the subject of a lengthy public inquiry, continuing to focus attention on Campbell and the PCs.
. Campbell herself was defeated in Vancouver Centre by rookie Liberal Hedy Fry
. She conceded defeat with the wisecrack, "Gee, I'm glad I didn't sell my car."
It was only the third time in Canadian history that a prime minister was unseated at the same time that his or her party lost an election. In 1921
, Arthur Meighen
was unseated in his Manitoba
riding at the same time that his Conservatives were defeated; this recurred in 1926
to end his second brief tenure as prime minister. Mackenzie King kept the Liberals in power after the 1925 election
, but lost his seat and had to win a by-election to get back into Parliament. All Progressive Conservatives running for re-election lost their seats, with the lone exception of Sherbrooke MP Jean Charest
(Elsie Wayne
was elected as a freshman MP from New Brunswick). The Tories' previous support in Western Canada
moved to Reform and the Liberals, while the Bloc Québécois
inherited most Tory support in Quebec
. In some cases, the Bloc pushed Cabinet ministers from Quebec into third place.
The Tories still finished with over two million votes, taking third place in the popular vote, and falling only two percentage points short of Reform for second place. However, as a consequence of the first past the post system, Tory support was not concentrated in enough areas to translate into victories in individual ridings. In contrast, the geographic concentration of support for Reform in the West and for the Bloc in Quebec garnered them significant numbers of parliamentary seats. As a result, the Tories won only two seats, compared to Reform's 52 and the Bloc's 54. It was the worst defeat in party history, and the worst defeat ever suffered by a Canadian governing party at the federal level.
Campbell faced hurdles that she blamed as being insurmountable. Mulroney left office as one of the most (and according to Campbell, the most) unpopular prime ministers since opinion polling began in the 1940s. He considerably hampered his own party's campaign effort by staging a very lavish international farewell tour at taxpayer expense, and by staying in office until only two and a half months were left in his mandate. Under the circumstances, Campbell came into office with almost no room to make mistakes. Nonetheless, Campbell's pre-election summer tour did boost the Progressive Conservatives in the polls to within a few points of the Liberals.
By the time she dropped the writ for the 1993 election, she was only a few days from becoming the first prime minister to allow a Parliament to expire. Another factor was that the race was a five-way contest with Reform and the Bloc competing with the three traditional parties for votes. The campaign had no central issue near the importance of the Canada-US Free Trade Agreement five years earlier, to make support for such parties seem risky.
Soon after the defeat, Campbell resigned as party leader; Jean Charest
succeeded her.
named Campbell as its Woman of the Year for 1993.
Campbell returned to lecturing in political science for a few years, this time at Harvard University
. It was rumoured she was to be moved to Moscow
as the ambassador to Russia. However, she did not receive this appointment. Then, in 1996, the Liberal government that had defeated Campbell's appointed her Consul General to Los Angeles
, a post in which she remained until 2000.
She published an autobiography, Time and Chance
, (ISBN 0-770-42738-3) in 1996. The book became a national bestseller in Canada, and is currently in its third edition from the University of Alberta Press (ISBN 000010132x).
In 1997, Campbell collaborated with her third husband, composer, playwright and actor Hershey Felder
, on the production of a musical, Noah's Ark in Los Angeles. From 2001 to 2004, she lectured at the John F. Kennedy School of Government
at Harvard University. She continues as an Honorary Fellow at the Center for Public Leadership
at the Kennedy School. She also is the director of several publicly traded companies in high technology and biotechnology.
From 1999 to 2003, she chaired the Council of Women World Leaders
, a network of women who hold or have held the office of president or prime minister. She was succeeded by former Irish President Mary Robinson
. From 2003 until 2005 she served as President of the International Women's Forum, a global organization of women of prominent achievement, with headquarters in Washington, D.C.
Campbell serves on the Board of the International Crisis Group
and the Forum of Federations
, and is on the advisory bodies of many international organizations. In 2004, she was included in the list of 50 most important political leaders in history in the Almanac of World History compiled by the National Geographic Society
. She was cited for her status as the only woman head of government of a North American country (defined variously), but controversy ensued among academics in Canada over the merit of this honour, since her brief term in office was marked by very few, if any, major political accomplishments.
She was a founding member of the Club of Madrid
, an independent organization whose main purpose is to strengthen democracy in the world. Its membership is by invitation only, and consists of former Heads of State and Government. In 2004, Campbell assumed the role of Secretary General of the organization.
On November 30, 2004, Campbell's official portrait for the parliamentary Prime Minister's gallery was unveiled. The painting was created by Victoria
, British Columbia
artist David Goatley. Campbell said she was "deeply honoured" to be the only woman to have her picture in the Prime Ministers' corridor, stating: "I really look forward to the day when there are many other female faces." The painting shows a pensive Campbell sitting on a chair with richly coloured Haida capes and robes in the background, symbolizing her time as a cabinet minister and as an academic. The unveiling took place amidst protests against President George W. Bush
's state visit to Canada.
During the 2006 election campaign
, Campbell endorsed the candidacy of Tony Fogarassy, the Conservative
candidate in Campbell's former riding of Vancouver Centre
. Campbell also clarified to reporters that she is a supporter of the new Conservative Party. Fogarassy lost the election, placing a distant third.
Campbell has a residence in Paris, France and recently joined the Board of Trustees of the Ukrainian Foundation for Effective Governance
, an NGO formed in September 2007 with the aid of Ukrainian businessman Rinat Akhmetov
.
While testifying in April 2009 at the Mulroney
-Schreiber
Airbus
inquiry, Campbell said she still follows Canadian politics "intermittently."
, legislation that protects a person's sexual past from being explored during trial.
Since Campbell never sat in Parliament during her four months as prime minister, she was unable to bring forth new legislation, which must be formally introduced there. However, she did implement radical changes to the structure of the Canadian government. Under her tenure, the federal cabinet's size was cut from over 75 cabinet ministers and ministers of state to 23. The number of cabinet committees was reduced from 11 to five. Her successors have continued to keep the size of the federal Cabinet to approximately 30 members. She was also the first prime minister to convene a First Ministers' conference for consultation prior to representing Canada at the G7 Summit. Due to her brief time in office, Campbell holds a unique spot among Canadian prime ministers in that she made no Senate
appointments.
Campbell has harshly criticized Mulroney for not allowing her to succeed him before June 1993. In her view, when she finally became prime minister, she had very little time or chance to make up ground on the Liberals once her initial popularity faded. In her memoirs, Time and Chance as well as her response to The Secret Mulroney Tapes
, Campbell even suggested that Mulroney knew the Tories would be defeated in the upcoming election, and wanted a "scapegoat who would bear the burden of his unpopularity" rather than a viable successor. The cause of the 1993 debacle remains disputed, with some arguing that the election results were a vote against Mulroney rather than a rejection of Campbell, and others suggesting that the poorly run Campbell campaign was the key factor in the result.
Although the Progressive Conservatives survived as a distinct political party for another decade after the 1993 debacle, they never recovered their previous standing. During that period they were led by Jean Charest
(1993–1998), Elsie Wayne
(1998) and then, for the second time, by Joe Clark
(1998–2003) (who had been Opposition Leader
and briefly Prime Minister 20 years earlier). By 2003, the party under new leader Peter MacKay
had voted to merge with the Canadian Alliance
to form the Conservative Party of Canada
, thus formally ceasing to exist; this occurred despite MacKay having earlier promised that he would not do this. Joe Clark continued to sit as a "Progressive Conservative" into 2004, and the new generation of right-leaning Conservatives gained power in the election of 2006, ensuring the "Tory" nickname's survival in the federal politics of Canada. A PC "rump" caucus continues to exist in the Senate of Canada, consisting of certain Clark, Mulroney and Paul Martin
appointees.
Campbell remains one of the youngest women to have ever assumed the office of Prime Minister in any country, and thus also one of the youngest to have left the office.
Campbell was ranked #20 out of the first 20 Prime Ministers of Canada (through Jean Chrétien
) by a survey of Canadian historians used by J.L. Granatstein and Norman Hillmer
in their book Prime Ministers: Ranking Canada's Leaders.
She has appeared on the CBC Television
program Canada's Next Great Prime Minister, a show which profiles and selects young prospective leaders.
" for life.
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
, lawyer
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
, university professor, diplomat
Diplomat
A diplomat is a person appointed by a state to conduct diplomacy with another state or international organization. The main functions of diplomats revolve around the representation and protection of the interests and nationals of the sending state, as well as the promotion of information and...
, and writer
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
. She served as the 19th Prime Minister of Canada
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...
, serving from June 25, 1993, to November 4, 1993 (132 days). Campbell was the first and to date the only female Prime Minister of Canada, the first baby boomer
Baby boomer
A baby boomer is a person who was born during the demographic Post-World War II baby boom and who grew up during the period between 1946 and 1964. The term "baby boomer" is sometimes used in a cultural context. Therefore, it is impossible to achieve broad consensus of a precise definition, even...
to hold that office, and the only PM to have been born in British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
.
Personal background
Campbell was born in Port Alberni, British ColumbiaBritish Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
to George Thomas Campbell (1920–2002) and Phyllis "Lisa" Cook. Her mother left the family when Campbell was 12, leaving Kim and her sister Alix to be raised by their father. As a teenager, Campbell permanently nicknamed herself Kim, perhaps for actress Kim Novak
Kim Novak
Kim Novak is an American film and television actress. She began her career with her roles in Pushover and Phffft! but achieved greater prominence in the 1955 film Picnic...
, as well as because "Kim" resembles the first syllable of Campbell when said in a Highlander accent (by a non-Highlander).
While in her pre-teens, Campbell was a host and reporter on the CBC
CBC Television
CBC Television is a Canadian television network owned by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, the national public broadcaster.Although the CBC is supported by public funding, the television network supplements this funding with commercial advertising revenue, in contrast to CBC Radio which are...
children's program Junior Television Club
Junior Television Club
Junior Television Club was a Canadian children's television news magazine series. It was broadcast on CBC Television from Vancouver, British Columbia between May 1, 1957 and June 26, 1957. On June 12, 1957, the show featured ten-year-old Kim Campbell, who later became Canada's first female Prime...
.
Campbell and her family moved to Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
, where she attended Prince of Wales Secondary School
Prince of Wales Secondary School
Prince of Wales Secondary School is a public secondary school located in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.-History:Prince of Wales opened for classes in September 1920 at its original site, which is now Shaughnessy Elementary School. It has been at its current location since 1960. Its current...
, and was a top student. She became the school's first female student president, and graduated in 1964.
University, early career
She earned an honours B.A.Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
degree in Political Science from the University of British Columbia
University of British Columbia
The University of British Columbia is a public research university. UBC’s two main campuses are situated in Vancouver and in Kelowna in the Okanagan Valley...
, graduating in 1969. She was active in the student government and served as the school's first female president of the freshman class. She then completed a year of graduate study at that school, to qualify for doctoral-level studies. Campbell entered the London School of Economics
London School of Economics
The London School of Economics and Political Science is a public research university specialised in the social sciences located in London, United Kingdom, and a constituent college of the federal University of London...
in 1970 to study towards her doctorate
Doctorate
A doctorate is an academic degree or professional degree that in most countries refers to a class of degrees which qualify the holder to teach in a specific field, A doctorate is an academic degree or professional degree that in most countries refers to a class of degrees which qualify the holder...
in Soviet Government, and spent three months touring the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
, from April to June 1972. She had spent several years studying the Russian language
Russian language
Russian is a Slavic language used primarily in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is an unofficial but widely spoken language in Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Turkmenistan and Estonia and, to a lesser extent, the other countries that were once constituent republics...
, and was close to being fluent. Campbell ultimately left her doctoral studies, returning to live in Vancouver after marrying Nathan Divinsky
Nathan Divinsky
Nathan Joseph Divinsky is a Canadian mathematician, chess master, and chess writer, who is also known for being the former husband of the 19th Prime Minister of Canada, Kim Campbell. Divinsky and Campbell were married from 1972 to 1983....
, her longtime partner, in 1972. She earned, in 1983, an LL.B.
Bachelor of Laws
The Bachelor of Laws is an undergraduate, or bachelor, degree in law originating in England and offered in most common law countries as the primary law degree...
from the University of British Columbia
University of British Columbia
The University of British Columbia is a public research university. UBC’s two main campuses are situated in Vancouver and in Kelowna in the Okanagan Valley...
. She was called
Call to the bar
The Call to the Bar is a legal term of art in most common law jurisdictions where persons must be qualified to be allowed to argue in court on behalf of another party, and are then said to have been "called to the bar" or to have received a "call to the bar"...
to the British Columbia Bar
Bar (law)
Bar in a legal context has three possible meanings: the division of a courtroom between its working and public areas; the process of qualifying to practice law; and the legal profession.-Courtroom division:...
in 1984, and practised law in Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
until 1986.
Family, early political career
During her marriage to Divinsky, Campbell lectured part-time in political science at the University of British Columbia and at Vancouver Community CollegeVancouver Community College
Vancouver Community College is a public post-secondary institution in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Founded in 1965, it is the largest and oldest community college in British Columbia, with over 140 certificate and diploma programs...
. While still attending law school, she entered politics as a trustee on the Vancouver School Board
School District 39 Vancouver
Vancouver School Board is a school district based in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. A board of nine trustees manage this district that serves the city of Vancouver and the University Endowment Lands....
, becoming, in 1983, the chair of that board and serving in 1984 as its vice-chair. She once claimed to have told the board to "back off" although others alleged that she said "fuck off," which author Gordon Donaldson
Gordon Donaldson (journalist)
Archibald Gordon Clark Donaldson was a Scottish-Canadian author and journalist. He appeared on television and also produced television programming.- Early life :...
compares to Pierre Trudeau
Pierre Trudeau
Joseph Philippe Pierre Yves Elliott Trudeau, , usually known as Pierre Trudeau or Pierre Elliott Trudeau, was the 15th Prime Minister of Canada from April 20, 1968 to June 4, 1979, and again from March 3, 1980 to June 30, 1984.Trudeau began his political career campaigning for socialist ideals,...
's "fuddle duddle
Fuddle duddle
In Canadian English, fuddle duddle is a euphemistic substitution for "fuck" or "fuck off", a notable use of which was by Pierre Elliott Trudeau, during his time as Prime Minister of Canada....
" incident. In total, she was a trustee there from 1980 to 1984 (Divinsky also had been chair). Campbell and Divinsky were divorced in 1983, and Campbell married Howard Eddy in 1986, a marriage that lasted until shortly before she became prime minister. Campbell is the second prime minister of Canada to have been divorced, after Pierre Trudeau
Pierre Trudeau
Joseph Philippe Pierre Yves Elliott Trudeau, , usually known as Pierre Trudeau or Pierre Elliott Trudeau, was the 15th Prime Minister of Canada from April 20, 1968 to June 4, 1979, and again from March 3, 1980 to June 30, 1984.Trudeau began his political career campaigning for socialist ideals,...
.
She briefly dated Gregory Lekhtman
Gregory Lekhtman
Gregory Lekhtman is a Canadian inventor and entrepreneur, who created and markets the Exerloper system of exercise boots. He immigrated to Canada in 1974, and resides in Montreal....
, the inventor of Exerlopers, during her term as prime minister, but the relationship was relatively private and she did not involve him in the election campaign
Canadian federal election, 1993
The Canadian federal election of 1993 was held on October 25 of that year to elect members to the Canadian House of Commons of the 35th Parliament of Canada. Fourteen parties competed for the 295 seats in the House at that time...
. She is currently in a common-law marriage
Common-law marriage
Common-law marriage, sometimes called sui juris marriage, informal marriage or marriage by habit and repute, is a form of interpersonal status that is legally recognized in limited jurisdictions as a marriage even though no legally recognized marriage ceremony is performed or civil marriage...
to Hershey Felder
Hershey Felder
Hershey Felder is a Canadian pianist, actor, playwright, composer, and producer. He created the role of American composer George Gershwin for the theatrical stage in the stage play George Gershwin Alone...
, an actor, playwright, composer, and concert pianist. Although childless, she remains close to Nathan Divinsky's daughter Pamela.
Provincial politics
Campbell was the unsuccessful BC Social Credit Party (Socred) candidate in Vancouver Centre for a seat in the British Columbia Legislative Assembly in 1983, receiving 12,740 votes (19.3% in a double member riding). Campbell ran unsuccessfully for the leadership of the BC Social Credit Party in the summer of 1986 (placing last with fewer than a dozen votes from delegates), but was elected in October 1986 to the British Columbia Legislative Assembly as a Socred member for Vancouver-Point GreyVancouver-Point Grey
Vancouver-Point Grey is a provincial electoral district for the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia, Canada. It first appeared on the hustings in the general election of 1933. It and the other new Vancouver ridings in this year, Vancouver-Burrard, Vancouver Centre and Vancouver East, were...
, getting 19,716 votes (23.2%, also in a double member riding).
Federal politics, cabinet minister
Less than two years later, Campbell resigned from the B.C. legislature to run in the 1988 federal electionCanadian federal election, 1988
The Canadian federal election of 1988 was held November 21, 1988, to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 34th Parliament of Canada. It was an election largely fought on a single issue: the Canada-U.S. Free Trade Agreement ....
as a Progressive Conservative
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....
in Vancouver Centre
Vancouver Centre
Vancouver Centre is a federal electoral district in British Columbia, Canada, that has been represented in the Canadian House of Commons since 1917.-Geography:...
, in downtown Vancouver. She won, in a surprise outcome, and immediately joined the cabinet
Cabinet of Canada
The Cabinet of Canada is a body of ministers of the Crown that, along with the Canadian monarch, and within the tenets of the Westminster system, forms the government of Canada...
, becoming Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development (1989–1990). She later became Canada's first female Minister of Justice
Minister of Justice (Canada)
The Minister of Justice is the Minister of the Crown in the Canadian Cabinet who is responsible for the Department of Justice and is also Attorney General of Canada .This cabinet position is usually reserved for someone with formal legal training...
and Attorney General
Attorney General
In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general, or attorney-general, is the main legal advisor to the government, and in some jurisdictions he or she may also have executive responsibility for law enforcement or responsibility for public prosecutions.The term is used to refer to any person...
(1990–1993). She was then appointed as the first female Minister of National Defence after Mulroney shuffled his cabinet in 1993.
Runs for PC Party leadership, becomes prime minister
In February 1993, Prime Minister Brian MulroneyBrian Mulroney
Martin Brian Mulroney, was the 18th Prime Minister of Canada from September 17, 1984, to June 25, 1993 and was leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada from 1983 to 1993. His tenure as Prime Minister was marked by the introduction of major economic reforms, such as the Canada-U.S...
announced his retirement from politics, to take effect June 25, 1993. Campbell entered the PC Party leadership race, to succeed Mulroney. She defeated Jean Charest
Jean Charest
John James "Jean" Charest, PC, MNA is a Canadian politician who has been the 29th Premier of Quebec since 2003. He was leader of the federal Progressive Conservative Party of Canada from 1993 to 1998 and has been leader of the Quebec Liberal Party since 1998....
at the Progressive Conservative leadership convention that June, and Governor General
Governor General of Canada
The Governor General of Canada is the federal viceregal representative of the Canadian monarch, Queen Elizabeth II...
Ray Hnatyshyn
Ray Hnatyshyn
Ramon John Hnatyshyn , commonly known as Ray Hnatyshyn, was a Canadian politician and statesman who served as Governor General of Canada, the 24th since Canadian Confederation....
formally appointed her Prime Minister on June 25. As a concession to Charest, Campbell appointed him to the posts of Deputy Prime Minister
Deputy Prime Minister of Canada
The Deputy Prime Minister of Canada is an honorary position in the cabinet, conferred at the discretion of the prime minister. There is currently, , no deputy prime minister....
and Minister of Industry, Science and Technology, the first a largely symbolic, and the second a significant cabinet portfolio position.
Prime Ministership
Campbell had served in four cabinet portfolios prior to running for the party leadership, including three years as Minister of Justice, and garnered support of more than half the PC caucus when she declared for the leadership. After becoming party leader and Prime Minister, Campbell set about reorganizing the cabinet. She cut it from 35 ministers to 23 ministers; she consolidated ministries by creating three new ministries: Health, Canadian Heritage, and Public Security. Campbell extensively campaigned during the summer, touring the nation and attending barbecues and other events. In August 1993, a GallupThe Gallup Organization
The Gallup Organization, is primarily a research-based performance-management consulting company. Some of Gallup's key practice areas are - Employee Engagement, Customer Engagement and Well-Being. Gallup has over 40 offices in 27 countries. World headquarters are in Washington, D.C. Operational...
Canada poll showed Campbell as having a 51 percent approval rating, which placed her as Canada's most popular prime minister in 30 years. By the end of the summer, her personal popularity had increased greatly, far surpassing that of Liberal Party
Liberal Party of Canada
The Liberal Party of Canada , colloquially known as the Grits, is the oldest federally registered party in Canada. In the conventional political spectrum, the party sits between the centre and the centre-left. Historically the Liberal Party has positioned itself to the left of the Conservative...
leader Jean Chrétien
Jean Chrétien
Joseph Jacques Jean Chrétien , known commonly as Jean Chrétien is a former Canadian politician who was the 20th Prime Minister of Canada. He served in the position for over ten years, from November 4, 1993 to December 12, 2003....
. Support for the Progressive Conservative Party had also increased to within a few points of the Liberals, while the Reform Party
Reform Party of Canada
The Reform Party of Canada was a Canadian federal political party that existed from 1987 to 2000. It was originally founded as a Western Canada-based protest party, but attempted to expand eastward in the 1990s. It viewed itself as a populist party....
had been reduced to single digits.
Campbell was the only Canadian prime minister not to have resided at 24 Sussex Drive
24 Sussex Drive
24 Sussex Drive is the official residence of the Prime Minister of Canada, located in the New Edinburgh neighbourhood of Ottawa, Ontario. Built between 1866 and 1868 by Joseph Merrill Currier, it has been the official home of the Canadian prime minister since 1951.-History:The house at 24 Sussex...
since that address became the official home of the Prime Minister of Canada in 1951. Initially, Campbell's predecessor Mulroney remained at 24 Sussex while renovations on his new home in Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
were being completed. Campbell instead took up residence at Harrington Lake
Harrington Lake
Harrington Lake estate is the name of the official country retreat of the Prime Minister of Canada and also the name of the land which surrounds it. It is located near Meech Lake where the Meech Lake Accord was negotiated in 1987approximately 35 kilometers northwest of Ottawa, in an area known as...
, the PM's summer and weekend retreat, located in rural Quebec, north of Ottawa, and she did not move into 24 Sussex after Mulroney left. Like Charles Tupper
Charles Tupper
Sir Charles Tupper, 1st Baronet, GCMG, CB, PC was a Canadian father of Confederation: as the Premier of Nova Scotia from 1864 to 1867, he led Nova Scotia into Confederation. He later went on to serve as the sixth Prime Minister of Canada, sworn in to office on May 1, 1896, seven days after...
and John Turner
John Turner
John Napier Wyndham Turner, PC, CC, QC is an English Canadian lawyer and retired politician, who served as the 17th Prime Minister of Canada from June 30 to September 17, 1984....
, Campbell never sat in Parliament as Prime Minister, as her term was filled by the summer break and the election campaign.
The 1993 election
When an electionCanadian federal election, 1993
The Canadian federal election of 1993 was held on October 25 of that year to elect members to the Canadian House of Commons of the 35th Parliament of Canada. Fourteen parties competed for the 295 seats in the House at that time...
was called in the fall of 1993, the party had high hopes that it would be able to remain in power and, if not, would at least be a strong opposition to a Liberal minority government
Minority government
A minority government or a minority cabinet is a cabinet of a parliamentary system formed when a political party or coalition of parties does not have a majority of overall seats in the parliament but is sworn into government to break a Hung Parliament election result. It is also known as a...
. The election had to be called at that time, since the government mandate for a maximum of five years was set to expire; thus, Campbell had no choice on the timing of the election.
Campaign
However, Campbell's initial popularity soon declined, due to public-relations mistakes committed after the writ was dropped. When she was running for the party leadership, Campbell's frank honesty was seen as an important asset and a sharp contrast from Mulroney's highly-polished style. However, that style backfired when she told reporters at a Rideau HallRideau Hall
Rideau Hall is, since 1867, the official residence in Ottawa of both the Canadian monarch and the Governor General of Canada. It stands in Canada's capital on a 0.36 km2 estate at 1 Sussex Drive, with the main building consisting of 170 rooms across 9,500 m2 , and 24 outbuildings around the...
event that it was unlikely that the deficit or unemployment would be much reduced before the "end of the century". During the election campaign, she further stated that discussing a complete overhaul of Canada's social policies in all their complexities could not be done in just 47 days; this statement was reduced to her having stated that an election is no time to discuss important issues.
Some have pointed to her gender as a major contributing factor to her historic loss. University of New Brunswick
University of New Brunswick
The University of New Brunswick is a Canadian university located in the province of New Brunswick. UNB is the oldest English language university in Canada and among the first public universities in North America. The university has two main campuses: the original campus founded in 1785 in...
professor Joanna Everitt writes that while media simply reported the facts about rival male leaders such as Jean Chrétien, Campbell's actions were usually interpreted as having some motive (drawing up support, appealing to a group, etc.).
The Conservatives support tailed off rapidly as the campaign progressed. By October, it was obvious that Campbell and the Tories would not be re-elected. All polls showed the Liberals were on their way to at least a minority government, and would probably win a majority without dramatic measures. However, Campbell was still personally more popular than Chrétien. Knowing this, the Conservative campaign team put together a series of ads attacking the Liberal leader
1993 Chrétien attack ad
During the 1993 Canadian federal election, the Progressive Conservative Party produced a televised attack ad against Jean Chrétien, the Liberal leader. The ad was perceived by many as a focus on Chrétien's facial deformity, caused by Bell's palsy...
. The second ad appeared to mock Chrétien's Bell's Palsy
Bell's palsy
Bell's palsy is a form of facial paralysis resulting from a dysfunction of the cranial nerve VII that results in the inability to control facial muscles on the affected side. Several conditions can cause facial paralysis, e.g., brain tumor, stroke, and Lyme disease. However, if no specific cause...
facial paralysis, and generated a severe backlash from all sides. Even some Tory candidates called for the ad to be pulled from broadcasts. Campbell claims to have not been directly responsible for the ad, and to have ordered it off the air over her staff's objections.
The ad controversy was widely regarded as the final nail in Campbell's prime ministerial coffin. Conservative support plummeted, all but assuring that the Liberals would win a majority government, short of a complete meltdown in the dying days of the campaign. Canadian humorist Will Ferguson
Will Ferguson
William Stener "Will" Ferguson is a Canadian writer and novelist best known for his humorous observations on Canadian history and culture....
suggested that this incident meant Campbell should receive "some of the blame" for her party's losses, though "taking over the party leadership from Brian (Mulroney) was a lot like taking over the controls of a 747 just before it plunges into the Rockies."
The Somalia Affair
Somalia Affair
The Somalia Affair was a 1993 military scandal later dubbed "Canada's national shame". It peaked with the brutal beating death of a Somali teenager at the hands of two Canadian soldiers participating in humanitarian efforts in Somalia. The crime, documented by grisly photos, shocked the Canadian...
took place during her "watch" as Minister of National Defence, and became a handicap during her subsequent period of public life. When the Liberal Party of Canada took power, the incident became the subject of a lengthy public inquiry, continuing to focus attention on Campbell and the PCs.
Election defeat
On election night, October 25, the Progressive Conservatives were swept from power in a Liberal landslideLandslide victory
In politics, a landslide victory is the victory of a candidate or political party by an overwhelming margin in an election...
. Campbell herself was defeated in Vancouver Centre by rookie Liberal Hedy Fry
Hedy Fry
Hedy Fry, PC, MP is a Canadian politician and physician. She is the Member of Parliament for Vancouver Centre.-Early life:Fry was born into poverty in San Fernando, Trinidad and Tobago...
. She conceded defeat with the wisecrack, "Gee, I'm glad I didn't sell my car."
It was only the third time in Canadian history that a prime minister was unseated at the same time that his or her party lost an election. In 1921
Canadian federal election, 1921
The Canadian federal election of 1921 was held on December 6, 1921 to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 14th Parliament of Canada. The Union government that had governed Canada through the First World War was defeated, and replaced by a Liberal government under the young leader...
, Arthur Meighen
Arthur Meighen
Arthur Meighen, PC, QC was a Canadian lawyer and politician. He served two terms as the ninth Prime Minister of Canada: from July 10, 1920 to December 29, 1921; and from June 29 to September 25, 1926. He was the first Prime Minister born after Confederation, and the only one to represent a riding...
was unseated in his Manitoba
Manitoba
Manitoba is a Canadian prairie province with an area of . The province has over 110,000 lakes and has a largely continental climate because of its flat topography. Agriculture, mostly concentrated in the fertile southern and western parts of the province, is vital to the province's economy; other...
riding at the same time that his Conservatives were defeated; this recurred in 1926
Canadian federal election, 1926
The Canadian federal election of 1926 was held on September 14 to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 16th Parliament of Canada. The election was called following an event known as the King-Byng Affair...
to end his second brief tenure as prime minister. Mackenzie King kept the Liberals in power after the 1925 election
Canadian federal election, 1925
The Canadian federal election of 1925 was held on October 29 to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 15th Parliament of Canada. Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King's Liberal Party formed a minority government. This precipitated the "King-Byng Affair".The Liberals under...
, but lost his seat and had to win a by-election to get back into Parliament. All Progressive Conservatives running for re-election lost their seats, with the lone exception of Sherbrooke MP Jean Charest
Jean Charest
John James "Jean" Charest, PC, MNA is a Canadian politician who has been the 29th Premier of Quebec since 2003. He was leader of the federal Progressive Conservative Party of Canada from 1993 to 1998 and has been leader of the Quebec Liberal Party since 1998....
(Elsie Wayne
Elsie Wayne
Elsie Eleanore Wayne is a Canadian politician, and a former Progressive Conservative MP for Saint John.-Political career:In 1977, she was elected to the Saint John municipal council...
was elected as a freshman MP from New Brunswick). The Tories' previous support in Western Canada
Western Canada
Western Canada, also referred to as the Western provinces and commonly as the West, is a region of Canada that includes the four provinces west of the province of Ontario.- Provinces :...
moved to Reform and the Liberals, while the Bloc Québécois
Bloc Québécois
The Bloc Québécois is a federal political party in Canada devoted to the protection of Quebec's interests in the House of Commons of Canada, and the promotion of Quebec sovereignty. The Bloc was originally a party made of Quebec nationalists who defected from the federal Progressive Conservative...
inherited most Tory support in Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
. In some cases, the Bloc pushed Cabinet ministers from Quebec into third place.
The Tories still finished with over two million votes, taking third place in the popular vote, and falling only two percentage points short of Reform for second place. However, as a consequence of the first past the post system, Tory support was not concentrated in enough areas to translate into victories in individual ridings. In contrast, the geographic concentration of support for Reform in the West and for the Bloc in Quebec garnered them significant numbers of parliamentary seats. As a result, the Tories won only two seats, compared to Reform's 52 and the Bloc's 54. It was the worst defeat in party history, and the worst defeat ever suffered by a Canadian governing party at the federal level.
Campbell faced hurdles that she blamed as being insurmountable. Mulroney left office as one of the most (and according to Campbell, the most) unpopular prime ministers since opinion polling began in the 1940s. He considerably hampered his own party's campaign effort by staging a very lavish international farewell tour at taxpayer expense, and by staying in office until only two and a half months were left in his mandate. Under the circumstances, Campbell came into office with almost no room to make mistakes. Nonetheless, Campbell's pre-election summer tour did boost the Progressive Conservatives in the polls to within a few points of the Liberals.
By the time she dropped the writ for the 1993 election, she was only a few days from becoming the first prime minister to allow a Parliament to expire. Another factor was that the race was a five-way contest with Reform and the Bloc competing with the three traditional parties for votes. The campaign had no central issue near the importance of the Canada-US Free Trade Agreement five years earlier, to make support for such parties seem risky.
Soon after the defeat, Campbell resigned as party leader; Jean Charest
Jean Charest
John James "Jean" Charest, PC, MNA is a Canadian politician who has been the 29th Premier of Quebec since 2003. He was leader of the federal Progressive Conservative Party of Canada from 1993 to 1998 and has been leader of the Quebec Liberal Party since 1998....
succeeded her.
Post-political career
Despite her dramatic loss in the election, the Canadian women's magazine ChatelaineChatelaine (magazine)
Chatelaine is an English-language Canadian magazine of women's lifestyles. Both Chatelaine and its French-language version, Châtelaine, are published monthly by Rogers Media, Inc., a division of Rogers Communications, Inc...
named Campbell as its Woman of the Year for 1993.
Campbell returned to lecturing in political science for a few years, this time at Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
. It was rumoured she was to be moved to Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
as the ambassador to Russia. However, she did not receive this appointment. Then, in 1996, the Liberal government that had defeated Campbell's appointed her Consul General to Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, a post in which she remained until 2000.
She published an autobiography, Time and Chance
Time and Chance (book)
Time and Chance is a book by Kim Campbell, former Prime Minister of Canada. The book details the career of Kim Campbell from her first election to the Vancouver School Board to becoming the Prime Minister of Canada....
, (ISBN 0-770-42738-3) in 1996. The book became a national bestseller in Canada, and is currently in its third edition from the University of Alberta Press (ISBN 000010132x).
In 1997, Campbell collaborated with her third husband, composer, playwright and actor Hershey Felder
Hershey Felder
Hershey Felder is a Canadian pianist, actor, playwright, composer, and producer. He created the role of American composer George Gershwin for the theatrical stage in the stage play George Gershwin Alone...
, on the production of a musical, Noah's Ark in Los Angeles. From 2001 to 2004, she lectured at the John F. Kennedy School of Government
John F. Kennedy School of Government
The John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University is a public policy and public administration school, and one of Harvard's graduate and professional schools...
at Harvard University. She continues as an Honorary Fellow at the Center for Public Leadership
Center for Public Leadership
The Center for Public Leadership is an American learning institution that provides teaching, research and training in the practical skills of leadership for people in government, nonprofits, and business. It was established in 2000, through a gift from the Wexner Foundation, at Harvard Kennedy...
at the Kennedy School. She also is the director of several publicly traded companies in high technology and biotechnology.
From 1999 to 2003, she chaired the Council of Women World Leaders
Council of Women World Leaders
The Council of Women World Leaders is a network of current and former women prime ministers and presidents established in 1996 by Vigdís Finnbogadóttir, President of Iceland and first woman in the world to be democratically elected president, and Laura Liswood, Secretary General...
, a network of women who hold or have held the office of president or prime minister. She was succeeded by former Irish President Mary Robinson
Mary Robinson
Mary Therese Winifred Robinson served as the seventh, and first female, President of Ireland from 1990 to 1997, and the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, from 1997 to 2002. She first rose to prominence as an academic, barrister, campaigner and member of the Irish Senate...
. From 2003 until 2005 she served as President of the International Women's Forum, a global organization of women of prominent achievement, with headquarters in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
Campbell serves on the Board of the International Crisis Group
International Crisis Group
The International Crisis Group is an international, non-profit, non-governmental organization whose mission is to prevent and resolve deadly conflicts around the world through field-based analyses and high-level advocacy.-History:...
and the Forum of Federations
Forum of Federations
The Forum of Federations is an international organization based in Ottawa, Canada. The Forum and its partners form a global network on federalism. It brings together elected officials, civil servants and experts in federalism from about 20 countries to learn from each other...
, and is on the advisory bodies of many international organizations. In 2004, she was included in the list of 50 most important political leaders in history in the Almanac of World History compiled by the National Geographic Society
National Geographic Society
The National Geographic Society , headquartered in Washington, D.C. in the United States, is one of the largest non-profit scientific and educational institutions in the world. Its interests include geography, archaeology and natural science, the promotion of environmental and historical...
. She was cited for her status as the only woman head of government of a North American country (defined variously), but controversy ensued among academics in Canada over the merit of this honour, since her brief term in office was marked by very few, if any, major political accomplishments.
She was a founding member of the Club of Madrid
Club of Madrid
The Club de Madrid is an independent non-profit organization created to promote democracy and change in the international community. Composed of 80 former Presidents and Prime Ministers from 56 countries, the Club de Madrid is the world’s largest forum of former Heads of State and Government.Among...
, an independent organization whose main purpose is to strengthen democracy in the world. Its membership is by invitation only, and consists of former Heads of State and Government. In 2004, Campbell assumed the role of Secretary General of the organization.
On November 30, 2004, Campbell's official portrait for the parliamentary Prime Minister's gallery was unveiled. The painting was created by Victoria
Victoria, British Columbia
Victoria is the capital city of British Columbia, Canada and is located on the southern tip of Vancouver Island off Canada's Pacific coast. The city has a population of about 78,000 within the metropolitan area of Greater Victoria, which has a population of 360,063, the 15th most populous Canadian...
, British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
artist David Goatley. Campbell said she was "deeply honoured" to be the only woman to have her picture in the Prime Ministers' corridor, stating: "I really look forward to the day when there are many other female faces." The painting shows a pensive Campbell sitting on a chair with richly coloured Haida capes and robes in the background, symbolizing her time as a cabinet minister and as an academic. The unveiling took place amidst protests against President George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
's state visit to Canada.
During the 2006 election campaign
Canadian federal election, 2006
The 2006 Canadian federal election was held on January 23, 2006, to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 39th Parliament of Canada. The Conservative Party of Canada won the greatest number of seats: 40.3% of seats, or 124 out of 308, up from 99 seats in 2004, and 36.3% of votes:...
, Campbell endorsed the candidacy of Tony Fogarassy, the Conservative
Conservative Party of Canada
The Conservative Party of Canada , is a political party in Canada which was formed by the merger of the Canadian Alliance and the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada in 2003. It is positioned on the right of the Canadian political spectrum...
candidate in Campbell's former riding of Vancouver Centre
Vancouver Centre
Vancouver Centre is a federal electoral district in British Columbia, Canada, that has been represented in the Canadian House of Commons since 1917.-Geography:...
. Campbell also clarified to reporters that she is a supporter of the new Conservative Party. Fogarassy lost the election, placing a distant third.
Campbell has a residence in Paris, France and recently joined the Board of Trustees of the Ukrainian Foundation for Effective Governance
Foundation for Effective Governance
The Foundation for Effective Governance ' was established in 2007 by Ukrainian businessman, Rinat Akhmetov. The Foundation’s main objective is to encourage the development of long-term national economic programs for Ukraine, through the formulation of practical policy solutions to the political,...
, an NGO formed in September 2007 with the aid of Ukrainian businessman Rinat Akhmetov
Rinat Akhmetov
Rinat Leonidovych Akhmetov is a Ukrainian businessman. He is the founder and President of System Capital Management, and is ranked among the wealthiest men in the nation. Akhmetov is also the owner and President of the Ukrainian football club Shakhtar Donetsk...
.
While testifying in April 2009 at the Mulroney
Brian Mulroney
Martin Brian Mulroney, was the 18th Prime Minister of Canada from September 17, 1984, to June 25, 1993 and was leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada from 1983 to 1993. His tenure as Prime Minister was marked by the introduction of major economic reforms, such as the Canada-U.S...
-Schreiber
Karlheinz Schreiber
Friedrich Karlheinz Hermann Schreiber is a German and Canadian citizen, an industrialist, lobbyist, fundraiser, arms dealer and businessman...
Airbus
Airbus
Airbus SAS is an aircraft manufacturing subsidiary of EADS, a European aerospace company. Based in Blagnac, France, surburb of Toulouse, and with significant activity across Europe, the company produces around half of the world's jet airliners....
inquiry, Campbell said she still follows Canadian politics "intermittently."
Legacy
As Justice Minister, Campbell brought about a new rape law that clarified sexual assault and whose passage firmly entrenched that in cases involving sexual assault, "no means no." She also introduced the rape shield lawRape shield law
A rape shield law is a law that limits a defendant's ability to cross-examine rape complainants about their past sexual behaviour. The term also refers to a law that prohibits the publication of the identity of an alleged rape victim.-In Canada:...
, legislation that protects a person's sexual past from being explored during trial.
Since Campbell never sat in Parliament during her four months as prime minister, she was unable to bring forth new legislation, which must be formally introduced there. However, she did implement radical changes to the structure of the Canadian government. Under her tenure, the federal cabinet's size was cut from over 75 cabinet ministers and ministers of state to 23. The number of cabinet committees was reduced from 11 to five. Her successors have continued to keep the size of the federal Cabinet to approximately 30 members. She was also the first prime minister to convene a First Ministers' conference for consultation prior to representing Canada at the G7 Summit. Due to her brief time in office, Campbell holds a unique spot among Canadian prime ministers in that she made no Senate
Canadian Senate
The Senate of Canada is a component of the Parliament of Canada, along with the House of Commons, and the monarch . The Senate consists of 105 members appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister...
appointments.
Campbell has harshly criticized Mulroney for not allowing her to succeed him before June 1993. In her view, when she finally became prime minister, she had very little time or chance to make up ground on the Liberals once her initial popularity faded. In her memoirs, Time and Chance as well as her response to The Secret Mulroney Tapes
The Secret Mulroney Tapes
The Secret Mulroney Tapes: Unguarded Confessions of a Prime Minister is a controversial biography of former Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney, by veteran writer and former Mulroney confidant Peter C...
, Campbell even suggested that Mulroney knew the Tories would be defeated in the upcoming election, and wanted a "scapegoat who would bear the burden of his unpopularity" rather than a viable successor. The cause of the 1993 debacle remains disputed, with some arguing that the election results were a vote against Mulroney rather than a rejection of Campbell, and others suggesting that the poorly run Campbell campaign was the key factor in the result.
Although the Progressive Conservatives survived as a distinct political party for another decade after the 1993 debacle, they never recovered their previous standing. During that period they were led by Jean Charest
Jean Charest
John James "Jean" Charest, PC, MNA is a Canadian politician who has been the 29th Premier of Quebec since 2003. He was leader of the federal Progressive Conservative Party of Canada from 1993 to 1998 and has been leader of the Quebec Liberal Party since 1998....
(1993–1998), Elsie Wayne
Elsie Wayne
Elsie Eleanore Wayne is a Canadian politician, and a former Progressive Conservative MP for Saint John.-Political career:In 1977, she was elected to the Saint John municipal council...
(1998) and then, for the second time, by Joe Clark
Joe Clark
Charles Joseph "Joe" Clark, is a Canadian statesman, businessman, and university professor, and former journalist and politician...
(1998–2003) (who had been Opposition Leader
Leader of the Opposition
The Leader of the Opposition is a title traditionally held by the leader of the largest party not in government in a Westminster System of parliamentary government...
and briefly Prime Minister 20 years earlier). By 2003, the party under new leader Peter MacKay
Peter MacKay
Peter Gordon MacKay, PC, QC, MP is a lawyer and politician from Nova Scotia, Canada. He is the Member of Parliament for Central Nova and currently serves as Minister of National Defence in the Cabinet of Canada....
had voted to merge with the Canadian Alliance
Canadian Alliance
The Canadian Alliance , formally the Canadian Reform Conservative Alliance , was a Canadian conservative political party that existed from 2000 to 2003. The party was the successor to the Reform Party of Canada and inherited its position as the Official Opposition in the House of Commons and held...
to form the Conservative Party of Canada
Conservative Party of Canada
The Conservative Party of Canada , is a political party in Canada which was formed by the merger of the Canadian Alliance and the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada in 2003. It is positioned on the right of the Canadian political spectrum...
, thus formally ceasing to exist; this occurred despite MacKay having earlier promised that he would not do this. Joe Clark continued to sit as a "Progressive Conservative" into 2004, and the new generation of right-leaning Conservatives gained power in the election of 2006, ensuring the "Tory" nickname's survival in the federal politics of Canada. A PC "rump" caucus continues to exist in the Senate of Canada, consisting of certain Clark, Mulroney and Paul Martin
Paul Martin
Paul Edgar Philippe Martin, PC , also known as Paul Martin, Jr. is a Canadian politician who was the 21st Prime Minister of Canada, as well as leader of the Liberal Party of Canada....
appointees.
Campbell remains one of the youngest women to have ever assumed the office of Prime Minister in any country, and thus also one of the youngest to have left the office.
Campbell was ranked #20 out of the first 20 Prime Ministers of Canada (through Jean Chrétien
Jean Chrétien
Joseph Jacques Jean Chrétien , known commonly as Jean Chrétien is a former Canadian politician who was the 20th Prime Minister of Canada. He served in the position for over ten years, from November 4, 1993 to December 12, 2003....
) by a survey of Canadian historians used by J.L. Granatstein and Norman Hillmer
Norman Hillmer
George Norman Hillmer is a leading Canadian historian and teacher and is among the leading scholars on Canada-US relations....
in their book Prime Ministers: Ranking Canada's Leaders.
She has appeared on the CBC Television
CBC Television
CBC Television is a Canadian television network owned by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, the national public broadcaster.Although the CBC is supported by public funding, the television network supplements this funding with commercial advertising revenue, in contrast to CBC Radio which are...
program Canada's Next Great Prime Minister, a show which profiles and selects young prospective leaders.
Honours
According to Canadian protocol, as a former Prime Minister, she is styled "The Right HonourableThe Right Honourable
The Right Honourable is an honorific prefix that is traditionally applied to certain people in the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the Anglophone Caribbean and other Commonwealth Realms, and occasionally elsewhere...
" for life.
- Member of the Queen's Privy Council for CanadaQueen's Privy Council for CanadaThe Queen's Privy Council for Canada ), sometimes called Her Majesty's Privy Council for Canada or simply the Privy Council, is the full group of personal consultants to the monarch of Canada on state and constitutional affairs, though responsible government requires the sovereign or her viceroy,...
- Queen's CounselQueen's CounselQueen's Counsel , known as King's Counsel during the reign of a male sovereign, are lawyers appointed by letters patent to be one of Her [or His] Majesty's Counsel learned in the law...
- 125th Anniversary of the Confederation of Canada Medal125th Anniversary of the Confederation of Canada MedalThe 125th Anniversary of the Confederation of Canada Medal is a commemorative medal struck by the Royal Canadian Mint celebrating the 125th anniversary of the Confederation of Canada...
- Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee MedalQueen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee MedalThe Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal was a commemorative medal created in 2002 to mark the 50th anniversary of the accession to the throne of Queen Elizabeth II...
- Honorary Fellow of the London School of EconomicsLondon School of EconomicsThe London School of Economics and Political Science is a public research university specialised in the social sciences located in London, United Kingdom, and a constituent college of the federal University of London...
- Honorary Fellow of the Center for Public Leadership, John F. Kennedy School of GovernmentJohn F. Kennedy School of GovernmentThe John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University is a public policy and public administration school, and one of Harvard's graduate and professional schools...
, Harvard UniversityHarvard UniversityHarvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country... - Member of the Club of MadridClub of MadridThe Club de Madrid is an independent non-profit organization created to promote democracy and change in the international community. Composed of 80 former Presidents and Prime Ministers from 56 countries, the Club de Madrid is the world’s largest forum of former Heads of State and Government.Among...
, an independent non-profit organization composed of 81 democratic former Presidents and Prime Ministers from 57 different countries. - Appointed a Companion of the Order of Canada on Canada DayCanada DayCanada Day , formerly Dominion Day , is the national day of Canada, a federal statutory holiday celebrating the anniversary of the July 1, 1867, enactment of the British North America Act , which united three British colonies into a single country, called Canada, within the British Empire...
2008 - Member of the Board, Forum of FederationsForum of FederationsThe Forum of Federations is an international organization based in Ottawa, Canada. The Forum and its partners form a global network on federalism. It brings together elected officials, civil servants and experts in federalism from about 20 countries to learn from each other...
.
Honorary degrees
- The Law Society of Upper Canada (LL.D) (1991)
- Brock UniversityBrock UniversityBrock University is a comprehensive university located in St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada. Brock offers undergraduate, graduate and doctoral degree programs that include co-op and other experiential learning opportunities to an enrolment of over 17,000 full-time students.The enabling legislation is...
(LL.D) (1998) - Northeastern University, Boston (DPS) (1999)
- University of British ColumbiaUniversity of British ColumbiaThe University of British Columbia is a public research university. UBC’s two main campuses are situated in Vancouver and in Kelowna in the Okanagan Valley...
(LL.D) (November 23, 2000) - Mount Holyoke CollegeMount Holyoke CollegeMount Holyoke College is a liberal arts college for women in South Hadley, Massachusetts. It was the first member of the Seven Sisters colleges, and served as a model for some of the others...
(LL.D) (2004) - Chatham CollegeChatham CollegeChatham University is an American university with a women's undergraduate college and coeducational graduate programs through the doctoral level, located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania's Shadyside neighborhood. The campus population of approximately 2,300 includes undergraduate women and graduate...
(LL.D) (2005) - Arizona State UniversityArizona State UniversityArizona State University is a public research university located in the Phoenix Metropolitan Area of the State of Arizona...
(D.LittDoctor of Humane LettersThe degree of Doctor of Humane Letters is always conferred as an honorary degree, usually to those who have distinguished themselves in areas other than science, government, literature or religion, which are awarded degrees of Doctor of Science, Doctor of Laws, Doctor of Letters, or Doctor of...
) (December 2005) - University of AlbertaUniversity of AlbertaThe University of Alberta is a public research university located in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Founded in 1908 by Alexander Cameron Rutherford, the first premier of Alberta and Henry Marshall Tory, its first president, it is widely recognized as one of the best universities in Canada...
(LL.D) (2010) - Trent UniversityTrent UniversityTrent University is a liberal arts and science-oriented institution located along the Otonabee River in Peterborough, Ontario, Canada.The enabling legislation is the Trent University Act, 1962-63. The University was founded through the efforts of a citizens' committee interested in creating a...
(LL.D) (2011)
See also
- List of Canadian Prime Ministers
- Time and Chance (book)Time and Chance (book)Time and Chance is a book by Kim Campbell, former Prime Minister of Canada. The book details the career of Kim Campbell from her first election to the Vancouver School Board to becoming the Prime Minister of Canada....
External links
- Official Blog of the Right Honourable Kim Campbell
- Official Website of the Right Honourable Kim Campbell
- Biography from the Kennedy School of Government
- 2004 commencement speech, Mount Holyoke College
- Grace Stewart, Heather. "Kim Campbell: the keener who broke down barriers" (2007) ISBN 978-0-9736407-0-0 Jackfruit Press.
- Granatstein, J.L. and Hillmer, Norman. Prime Ministers: Ranking Canada's Leaders. Toronto: HarperCollinsPublihersLtd., 1999. ISBN 0-00-200027-X.
- CBC Digital Archives – Kim Campbell, First and Foremost
- Official page of the documentary film "Kim Campbell:Through the Looking Glass"