Ella Jean Canfield is a former Canadian

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

 politician. She was the first woman ever elected to the Legislative Assembly of Prince Edward Island

Legislative Assembly of Prince Edward Island

The Legislative Assembly of Prince Edward Island, along with the Lieutenant-Governor, forms the parliament of the province. The General Assembly meets at Province House, which is located at the intersection of Richmond and Great George Streets in Charlottetown....

, as well as the first woman to serve in the Executive Council of Prince Edward Island

Executive Council of Prince Edward Island

The Executive Council of Prince Edward Island is the cabinet of that Canadian province....

.

Canfield originally stood for office in the 1966 provincial election

Prince Edward Island general election, 1966

The Prince Edward Island general election, 1966 was held on May 30, 1966.The election in the riding of 1st Kings was delayed until July 11, 1966 due to the death of Liberal Assemblyman and candidate William Acorn...

 in 1st Queens

1st Queens

1st Queens was an electoral district in the Canadian province of Prince Edward Island, which elected two members to the Legislative Assembly of Prince Edward Island from 1873 to 1993.The district comprised the westernmost portion of Queens County....

, but failed against incumbent Frank Myers

Frank Myers (politician)

Frank Sheldon Myers was a farmer and political figure on Prince Edward Island. He represented 1st Queens in the Legislative Assembly of Prince Edward Island from 1951 to 1955 and from 1957 to 1970 as a Conservative....

. She then stood again in the 1970 election

Prince Edward Island general election, 1970

The Prince Edward Island general election, 1970 is notable if only because it is one of the more uneventful elections in the history of a province coloured with unique electoral events...

, and was successful. She was reelected in the 1974 election

Prince Edward Island general election, 1974

The Prince Edward Island general election, 1974 was the first election that the NDP contested as a provincial party on PEI. Not since the CCF in 1951 had there been a third party competing for votes on the island...

, but defeated in the 1979 election

Prince Edward Island general election, 1979

The Prince Edward Island general election, 1979 saw the election of a new Progressive Conservative government, which was elected with a majority both of seats and votes. The PC were led by Angus MacLean. This also marks the only appearance of the Draft Beer Party. This was the only party to contest...

.

From October 10, 1972 to May 2, 1974, she served as Minister without Portfolio and Minister responsible for the PEI Housing Authority in the government of Alex Campbell

Alex Campbell

Alexander Bradshaw Campbell, PC is a former politician of Prince Edward Island, Canada. He is the son of former premier Thane A. Campbell and Cecilia L. Bradshaw. He entered politics by winning a seat in the legislature through a 1965 by-election in 5th Prince...

.

In 2005, the Government of Canada

Government of Canada

The Government of Canada, formally Her Majesty's Government, is the system whereby the federation of Canada is administered by a common authority; in Canadian English, the term can mean either the collective set of institutions or specifically the Queen-in-Council...

 announced that a new office building constructed in Charlottetown

Charlottetown

Charlottetown is a Canadian city. It is both the largest city on and the provincial capital of Prince Edward Island, and the county seat of Queens County. Named after Queen Charlotte, the wife of George III, Charlottetown was first incorporated as a town in 1855 and designated as a city in 1885...

 would be named the Jean Canfield Building

Jean Canfield Building

The Jean Canfield Building is a Government of Canada office building located in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island. It is named after Jean Canfield, the first woman elected to the Legislative Assembly of Prince Edward Island....

.

External links

• Jean Canfield at Collections Canada