Sunday December 3rd at the Cook St. Village Activity Centre – Moira Dann – From Influence to Power: The legacy of the Mothers of Confederation
The Fathers of Confederation, the men who created Canada more than 150 years ago, were at least partially defined by the women in their lives: The Mothers of Confederation.
The political leaders of the day were profoundly influenced by their family lives, and family is something we can all relate to – that’s why I found it so rewarding to investigate the Mothers of Confederation (and the sisters and the daughters and at least one mistress).
The lives of these women were mightily proscribed, yet even within the doctrine of separate spheres, they managed to influence the events that led to nation creation.
Eventually, women had power enough to hold elected office, were declared “persons” enough to sit in the Senate, and be appointed to the Supreme Court (thank you, Bertha Wilson), while still exerting influence.
**
Bio: Moira Dann shares a birthplace with Nobel and Pulitzer prize-winning author Saul Bellow (Lachine, Quebec) and a birthdate with the Dalai Lama (July 6). She worked as a journalist much of her career (CBC, The Globe and Mail) and is a late-life graduate of University of King’s College in Halifax. Currently board president of Craigdarroch Castle, Moira is the author of Craigdarroch Castle in 21 Treasures (Touchwood), winner of a 2021 Lieutenant-Governor’s Award for Historical Writing. She’s currently writing a memoir.
Posted in: