Kirkland-Casgrain, Marie-Claire (1924- )

Canadian Liberal politician who was the first woman elected to the Legislative Assembly of Québec 1961-73 and also the first woman appointed as a cabinet minister. She played a significant role in the promotion of women's issues, culminating in the passing of three bills (1964, 1969, and 1973), which protected the civil rights of married women in particular.

Born in Palmer, Massachusetts, USA, Kirkland-Casgrain trained as a lawyer and was keen to follow her father, Charles-Aime, into politics. In the 1960s, she became an adviser to the Young Liberals and was President of the Mariana B Jodoin Club's Constitution Committee and the Fédération des femmes libérales du Québec. She was a minister without portfolio from 1962-64, and minister of transportation and communications 1964-66. In 1970 she moved to the department of tourism, game and fishing. She left politics in 1973 and, from 1980, worked as a judge until her retirement in 1991.