Jean Augustine

Jean Augustine at a desk in front of a Canadian flag.
 

Jean Augustine

The first Black woman to sit at Parliament
Date of birth
1937
Point of origin
Grenada
Augustine came to Canada in 1960. After her contract as a domestic, she trained to be a teacher in Ontario.
In 2010, the city of Toronto renamed a waterfront park on Lakeshore Boulevard West in honour of Jean Augustine.
In 1993, Jean Augustine stood as a candidate for the Liberal Party in the federal election and won, becoming the first Black woman elected as a Member of Parliament.
Boris Spremo via Getty Images

Jean Augustine, 1937- , Grenada. 

Augustine came to Canada in 1960. After her contract as a domestic, she trained to be a teacher in Ontario. Alongside teaching and school administration, she was an energetic community advocate, leading to her political career. She was the first Black woman to sit in Canada’s Parliament and in the federal Cabinet.