Nancy Ruth
Encyclopedia
Nancy Ruth, CM
(born January 6, 1942) is a Canadian Senator from Ontario
. She was appointed to the Senate by Governor General
Adrienne Clarkson
, on the advice of Prime Minister
Paul Martin
, on March 24, 2005. While initially appointed as a Progressive Conservative
, on March 28, 2006 she joined the Conservative
caucus. She is Canada's first openly
lesbian
senator.
. Before being appointed to the Senate, Nancy Ruth was a social activist and philanthropist. She founded several women's organizations in Canada, including the Women's Legal Education and Action Fund
, the Canadian Women's Foundation and a women's studies
chair at Mount Saint Vincent University
. She has also been a noted benefactor of hospitals and art galleries throughout Canada, and was named a member of the Order of Canada
in 1994.
She has long battled for women's constitutional rights and thus opposed the Charlottetown Accord
in 1992. She is also a vocal opponent of pornography
. Her support for tougher child pornography laws made her a controversial figure amongst other gay rights activists, who saw the legislation as dangerously ambiguous in its definitions and broad in scope.
She was born Nancy Ruth (Rowell) Jackman, and is the sister of former Lieutenant Governor of Ontario
Hal Jackman, the daughter of former Member of Parliament
Harry Jackman
and the granddaughter of former MP and Ontario Liberal Party
leader Newton Rowell
. She changed her name in the mid-1990s; she does not use "Ruth" as a last name, instead using both her names as given names with no last name, and therefore prefers to be known as "Senator Nancy Ruth" instead of "Senator Ruth." She is alphabetized under "N," not "R", on the Senate website.
A Red Tory
, Nancy Ruth campaigned for the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario
on two occasions in the early 1990s, when she was known as Nancy Jackman. The first was in the 1990 provincial election
, when she lost to New Democratic Party
candidate Zanana Akande
by fewer than 1,000 votes in the riding of St. Andrew—St. Patrick
. On April 1, 1993, she lost to Liberal
Tim Murphy by over 2,000 votes in a by-election
held in St. George—St. David
.
" from "all thy sons command" to "thou dost in us command", the original wording. Intense public backlash caused the Prime Minister's Office to announce the issue had been dropped from consideration.
The next day the Conservative government cut funding to 11 women's groups, some of which support abortion as part of the G8 maternal health initiative.
Order of Canada
The Order of Canada is a Canadian national order, admission into which is, within the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, the second highest honour for merit...
(born January 6, 1942) is a Canadian Senator from Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
. She was appointed to the Senate by Governor General
Governor General of Canada
The Governor General of Canada is the federal viceregal representative of the Canadian monarch, Queen Elizabeth II...
Adrienne Clarkson
Adrienne Clarkson
Adrienne Louise Clarkson is a Canadian journalist and stateswoman who served as Governor General of Canada, the 26th since Canadian Confederation....
, on the advice of Prime Minister
Prime Minister of Canada
The Prime Minister of Canada is the primary minister of the Crown, chairman of the Cabinet, and thus head of government for Canada, charged with advising the Canadian monarch or viceroy on the exercise of the executive powers vested in them by the constitution...
Paul Martin
Paul Martin
Paul Edgar Philippe Martin, PC , also known as Paul Martin, Jr. is a Canadian politician who was the 21st Prime Minister of Canada, as well as leader of the Liberal Party of Canada....
, on March 24, 2005. While initially appointed as a Progressive Conservative
Progressive Conservative Party of Canada
The Progressive Conservative Party of Canada was a Canadian political party with a centre-right stance on economic issues and, after the 1970s, a centrist stance on social issues....
, on March 28, 2006 she joined the Conservative
Conservative Party of Canada
The Conservative Party of Canada , is a political party in Canada which was formed by the merger of the Canadian Alliance and the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada in 2003. It is positioned on the right of the Canadian political spectrum...
caucus. She is Canada's first openly
Coming out
Coming out is a figure of speech for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people's disclosure of their sexual orientation and/or gender identity....
lesbian
Lesbian
Lesbian is a term most widely used in the English language to describe sexual and romantic desire between females. The word may be used as a noun, to refer to women who identify themselves or who are characterized by others as having the primary attribute of female homosexuality, or as an...
senator.
Life and career
Nancy Ruth was born in Toronto, Ontario, and is an alumna of Branksome HallBranksome Hall
Branksome Hall is an independent girls' school for day and boarding students from Junior Kindergarten to Grade 12. Founded in 1903, the school is located on a 13-acre campus in in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Campus buildings include several heritage structures and some modern buildings, all linked by...
. Before being appointed to the Senate, Nancy Ruth was a social activist and philanthropist. She founded several women's organizations in Canada, including the Women's Legal Education and Action Fund
Women's Legal Education and Action Fund
Women's Legal Education and Action Fund, referred to by the acronym LEAF, is a Canadian legal organization that performs legal research and intervenes in appellate and Supreme Court of Canada cases on women's issues...
, the Canadian Women's Foundation and a women's studies
Women's studies
Women's studies, also known as feminist studies, is an interdisciplinary academic field which explores politics, society and history from an intersectional, multicultural women's perspective...
chair at Mount Saint Vincent University
Mount Saint Vincent University
Mount Saint Vincent University is a university located in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. It was established in 1873 and is locally referred to as The Mount.-History:...
. She has also been a noted benefactor of hospitals and art galleries throughout Canada, and was named a member of the Order of Canada
Order of Canada
The Order of Canada is a Canadian national order, admission into which is, within the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, the second highest honour for merit...
in 1994.
She has long battled for women's constitutional rights and thus opposed the Charlottetown Accord
Charlottetown Accord
The Charlottetown Accord was a package of proposed amendments to the Constitution of Canada, proposed by the Canadian federal and provincial governments in 1992. It was submitted to a public referendum on October 26 of that year, and was defeated.-Background:...
in 1992. She is also a vocal opponent of pornography
Pornography
Pornography or porn is the explicit portrayal of sexual subject matter for the purposes of sexual arousal and erotic satisfaction.Pornography may use any of a variety of media, ranging from books, magazines, postcards, photos, sculpture, drawing, painting, animation, sound recording, film, video,...
. Her support for tougher child pornography laws made her a controversial figure amongst other gay rights activists, who saw the legislation as dangerously ambiguous in its definitions and broad in scope.
She was born Nancy Ruth (Rowell) Jackman, and is the sister of former Lieutenant Governor of Ontario
Lieutenant Governor of Ontario
The Lieutenant Governor of Ontario is the viceregal representative in Ontario of the Canadian monarch, Queen Elizabeth II, who operates distinctly within the province but is also shared equally with the ten other jurisdictions of Canada and resides predominantly in her oldest realm, the United...
Hal Jackman, the daughter of former Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
Harry Jackman
Harry Jackman
Henry Rutherford "Harry" Jackman, OC was a Canadian politician and successful entrepreneur. He represented the electoral district of Rosedale in the Canadian House of Commons from 1940 to 1949....
and the granddaughter of former MP and Ontario Liberal Party
Ontario Liberal Party
The Ontario Liberal Party is a provincial political party in the province of Ontario, Canada. It has formed the Government of Ontario since the provincial election of 2003. The party is ideologically aligned with the Liberal Party of Canada but the two parties are organizationally independent and...
leader Newton Rowell
Newton Rowell
Newton Wesley Rowell, PC was a Canadian lawyer and politician and leading lay figure in the Methodist church. Rowell led the Ontario Liberal Party from 1911 to 1917 and put forward a platform advocating temperance...
. She changed her name in the mid-1990s; she does not use "Ruth" as a last name, instead using both her names as given names with no last name, and therefore prefers to be known as "Senator Nancy Ruth" instead of "Senator Ruth." She is alphabetized under "N," not "R", on the Senate website.
A Red Tory
Red Tory
A red Tory is an adherent of a particular political philosophy, tradition, and disposition in Canada somewhat similar to the High Tory tradition in the United Kingdom; it is contrasted with "blue Tory". In Canada, the phenomenon of "red toryism" has fundamentally, if not exclusively, been found in...
, Nancy Ruth campaigned for the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario
Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario
The Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario , is a right-of-centre political party in Ontario, Canada. The party was known for many years as "Ontario's natural governing party." It has ruled the province for 80 of the years since Confederation, including an uninterrupted run from 1943 to 1985...
on two occasions in the early 1990s, when she was known as Nancy Jackman. The first was in the 1990 provincial election
Ontario general election, 1990
The Ontario general election of 1990 was held on September 6, 1990, to elect members of the 35th Legislative Assembly of the province of Ontario, Canada....
, when she lost to New Democratic Party
Ontario New Democratic Party
The Ontario New Democratic Party or , formally known as New Democratic Party of Ontario, is a social democratic political party in Ontario, Canada. It is a provincial section of the federal New Democratic Party. It was formed in October 1961, a few months after the federal party. The ONDP had its...
candidate Zanana Akande
Zanana Akande
Zanana L. Akande is a former Canadian politician. She was the first black woman elected to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, and the first black woman to serve as a cabinet minister in Canada....
by fewer than 1,000 votes in the riding of St. Andrew—St. Patrick
St. Andrew—St. Patrick
St. Andrew—St. Patrick was a provincial electoral district in Ontario, Canada, that returned Members of Provincial Parliament to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario at Queen's Park....
. On April 1, 1993, she lost to Liberal
Ontario Liberal Party
The Ontario Liberal Party is a provincial political party in the province of Ontario, Canada. It has formed the Government of Ontario since the provincial election of 2003. The party is ideologically aligned with the Liberal Party of Canada but the two parties are organizationally independent and...
Tim Murphy by over 2,000 votes in a by-election
By-election
A by-election is an election held to fill a political office that has become vacant between regularly scheduled elections....
held in St. George—St. David
St. George—St. David
St. George—St. David was a provincial electoral district in Ontario, Canada, that returned Members of Provincial Parliament to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario at Queen's Park....
.
Rewording Canadian national anthem
In 2010, Nancy Ruth took credit for the Throne Speech's including a proposal to study changing the line of "O CanadaO Canada
It has been noted that the opening theme of "O Canada" bears a strong resemblance to the "Marsch der Priester" , from the opera Die Zauberflöte , composed in 1791 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, and that Lavallée's melody was inspired by Mozart's tune...
" from "all thy sons command" to "thou dost in us command", the original wording. Intense public backlash caused the Prime Minister's Office to announce the issue had been dropped from consideration.
Comments to women's equality rights groups
Nancy Ruth sparked controversy on May 3, 2010, with comments she made during a meeting with women's equality rights groups on Parliament Hill. The groups were among many who had leveled criticisms at the Conservative government for maintaining their refusal to include funding for abortions in their maternal health plan for the G8, even after finally agreeing to include family planning measures such as contraception. Nancy Ruth fired back at the groups, telling them, "We've got five weeks or whatever left until the G8 starts. Shut the fuck up on this issue," she said. "If you push it, there'll be more backlash. This is now a political football. This is not about women's health in this country". Nancy Ruth also said, "Canada is still a country with free and accessible abortion. Leave it there. Don't make this an election issue."The next day the Conservative government cut funding to 11 women's groups, some of which support abortion as part of the G8 maternal health initiative.