Christine Stewart facts for kids

Christine Susan Stewart (January 3, 1941 – April 25, 2015) was an important Canadian politician. She was a member of the Liberal Party of Canada and served as a Member of Parliament (MP) for the area of Northumberland in Ontario. She was an MP for three terms, which means she was elected three times. During her time in politics, she held two big jobs in the government: Secretary of State for Latin America and Africa, and Minister of the Environment.

Early Life and Education

Christine Stewart was born in Hamilton, Ontario. She went to the University of Toronto and earned a degree in nursing. This means she studied to become a nurse.

Political Career and Public Service

Before becoming a politician, Christine Stewart worked as a nurse for a short time. She then became very involved in helping people in other countries. In 1971-72, she volunteered with her husband in Honduras. This experience led her to help start a group called Horizons of Friendship. This group helps people in other countries. She was a leader of this group until 1988.

Stewart also raised three children and was active in her community of Cobourg, Ontario. She served as a school board trustee, which means she helped make decisions for local schools. She also volunteered with church, social, and arts groups.

Becoming a Member of Parliament

Christine Stewart was first elected to the House of Commons of Canada in 1988. The House of Commons is where Canada's laws are made. She won by a very small number of votes. At that time, her party, the Liberal Party, was not in charge of the government. So, she worked as an Opposition member. Her job was to look at how the government was helping other countries.

She was elected two more times, in 1993 and 1997. In these elections, she won by a lot more votes.

Working in the Government Cabinet

After the 1993 election, the Liberal Party won, and Jean Chrétien became the Prime Minister. Christine Stewart was chosen to be part of the Prime Minister's cabinet. The cabinet is a group of important ministers who help run the country.

• From 1993 to 1997, she was the Secretary of State (Latin America and Africa). In this role, she visited many countries in Latin America and Africa. For some of these countries, it was the first time a Canadian minister had ever visited them.
• From 1997 to 1999, she became the Minister of the Environment. This was a very important job. She was in charge of protecting Canada's environment.

Key Environmental Work

As Minister of the Environment, Christine Stewart led Canada's team at important meetings about climate change. These meetings took place in a city called Kyoto. She signed the Kyoto Accord for Canada. This was an agreement where countries promised to try and reduce pollution that causes climate change.

She also worked to improve important Canadian laws about the environment. These laws included:

• The Canadian Environmental Protection Act
• The Species at Risk Act
• The Canadian Environmental Assessment Act

These laws help protect Canada's nature, animals, and air and water quality.

After Politics

Christine Stewart decided to leave politics before the election in 2000 for personal reasons. After leaving the Canadian government, she continued to work on important global issues. She served as a special envoy for the Commonwealth Secretary General in Cameroon until 2006. She also kept working on social issues in her own community and helped with good governance around the world.

Christine Stewart passed away on April 25, 2015.