Flora MacDonald (politician)

The Honourable Flora MacDonald PC CC OOnt ONS
MacDonald, c. 1979
Secretary of State for External Affairs
In office June 4, 1979 – March 2, 1980
Prime Minister	Joe Clark
Preceded by	Don Jamieson
Succeeded by	Mark MacGuigan
Minister of Communications
In office June 30, 1986 – December 7, 1988
Prime Minister	Brian Mulroney
Preceded by	Marcel Masse
Succeeded by	Lowell Murray (acting) Marcel Masse
Minister of Employment and Immigration
In office September 17, 1984 – June 29, 1986
Prime Minister	Brian Mulroney
Preceded by	John Roberts
Succeeded by	Benoît Bouchard
Member of Parliament for Kingston and the Islands
In office October 30, 1972 – November 20, 1988
Preceded by	Edgar Benson
Succeeded by	Peter Milliken
Personal details
Born	Flora Isabel MacDonald (1926-06-03)June 3, 1926 North Sydney, Nova Scotia, Canada
Died	July 26, 2015(2015-07-26) (aged 89) Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Political party	Progressive Conservative (1950s–2003)

Flora Isabel MacDonald PC CC OOnt ONS (June 3, 1926 – July 26, 2015) was a Canadian politician and humanitarian. Canada's first female foreign minister, she was also one of the first women to vie for leadership of a major Canadian political party, the Progressive Conservatives. She became a close ally of Prime Minister Joe Clark, serving in his cabinet from 1979 to 1980, as well as in the cabinet of Prime Minister Brian Mulroney from 1984 to 1988. In her later life, she was known for her humanitarian work abroad. Jimmy Carter has said that 90% of the contribution to freeing American hostages in Iran should be attributed to her and Kenneth D. Taylor.^[1] The City of Ottawa recognised MacDonald on July 11, 2018, by naming a new bicycle and footbridge (opening 2019) over the Rideau Canal the Passerelle Flora Footbridge.