S.E.E.D OF VICTORY FOUNDATION

 

The Honourable Dr. Jean Augustine is the first African-Canadian woman elected to the Parliament of Canada; she served three terms as Chair of the National Liberal Women's Caucus. In February 2002,  Jean Augustine was elected Chair of the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Trade. While in office, Jean Augustine was solely responsible for championing legislation to recognize February as Black History Month in Canada with a unanimous vote of 305-0. This bold statement allowed Canadians to honour their black history during the same time that their American cousins previously have been doing for generations before.

​

She also was the first African-Canadian woman to be appointed to the federal cabinet. On May 26, 2002, Honourable Jean Augustine was appointed Secretary of State (Multiculturalism) (Status of Women). In December 2003, she was re-appointed to the new Cabinet as Minister of State (Multiculturalism and Status of Women). In 2004, she was appointed to the position of Assistant Deputy Chair of Committees of the Whole, making her the first African Canadian to occupy the Speaker's Chair in the Canadian House of Commons.