Claire Kirkland-Casgrain, the first female elected to Quebec’s National Assembly and also the first named to its cabinet, became the province’s first woman to receive a national funeral on Saturday.
Kirkland-Casgrain was laid to rest at the Mary Queen of the World Cathedral.
“She really traced the way for us all,” said Quebec Justice Minister Stephanie Valee. “She was a great inspiration. She went forward and decided to change things for the better.”
Kirkland-Casgrain was also the first female appointed judge in Quebec.
She was first elected in a by-election in 1961, during a time when women didn’t even have the right to open their own bank accounts. She would play a key role in changing that law and was an influential figure in the Quiet Revolution that transformed Quebec.
“It’s only 50 years ago that women in Quebec stopped being under the power of men in the law,” said Foreign Affairs Minister Stephane Dion. “It’s not the Middle Ages, it’s only 50 years ago.”
Kirkland-Casgrain was raised in a Francophone family but was equally bilingual in English, acting as a bridge during a turbulent time in Quebec history.
"She really was very courageous to open the way for other women who followed behind," said former premier Jean Charest. "To work in an environment where she wasn't automatically accepted. Her life itself is a marker in our history."
Note: an earlier version of this article said Kirkland-Casgrain was given a state funeral. She was given a national funeral.
