Marie-Françoise Mégie facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Marie-Françoise Mégie
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| Senator for Rougemont, Quebec | |
| Assumed office November 25, 2016 |
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| Nominated by | Justin Trudeau |
| Appointed by | David Johnston |
| Preceded by | Suzanne Duplessis |
| Personal details | |
| Born | September 21, 1950 |
| Political party | Independent Senators Group |
| Profession | Doctor Professor Senator |
Marie-Françoise Mégie (born September 21, 1950) is a Canadian doctor, university professor, and a member of the Senate of Canada. The Senate is an important part of Canada's government that helps make and review laws.
Born in Jacmel, Haiti, she moved to Quebec in 1976 to build her life and career. She represents the area of Rougemont, Quebec, in the Senate and is a member of the Independent Senators Group.
Contents
From Haiti to the Canadian Senate
Early Life and Medical Training
Marie-Françoise Mégie was born and grew up in the city of Jacmel in Haiti. After finishing high school, she went to medical school at the Université d'État d'Haïti in the capital city, Port-au-Prince. She earned her medical degree in 1974.
In 1976, Mégie moved to Quebec, Canada, to continue her career as a doctor. To practice medicine in Canada, she had to complete more training and pass special exams. By 1981, she had earned her license from the Medical Council of Canada and was officially a doctor in Canada.
A Career in Healthcare
In October 1981, Dr. Mégie began working at a local community health center (CLSC) in Laval, Quebec. She specialized in home care, visiting and treating elderly patients, people with serious disabilities, and those nearing the end of their lives.
She also worked at other healthcare centers before becoming the medical director of a palliative care center in Laval. Palliative care focuses on providing comfort and support to people with serious illnesses.
Teaching Future Doctors
For nearly 30 years, Dr. Mégie was also a professor at the Université de Montréal. She taught in the Department of Family Medicine and Emergency Medicine.
She helped create a program that required new family doctors to train in home care. She taught them about caring for older patients, making good medical decisions, and understanding medical ethics. She also led research projects on topics like Alzheimer's disease and the care of chronic wounds.
Serving in the Senate of Canada
On November 25, 2016, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau appointed Dr. Mégie to the Senate of Canada. As a senator, she helps study and improve laws for the country. She is an independent senator, which means she does not belong to a political party.
Important Work in the Senate
As a senator, she has been a member of several important committees, including groups that study:
- Social issues, science, and technology
- Official languages like English and French
- Farming and forests
- Issues related to Indigenous Peoples in Canada
In 2019, she gave a speech supporting the Canadian Accessibility Act, a law designed to make Canada more accessible for people with disabilities.
Fighting for Health and Equality
Senator Mégie has used her medical knowledge to help guide the Senate. She supported a motion to study vaccine hesitancy, which is when people are unsure about getting vaccines. This became very important during the COVID-19 pandemic.
She is also a member of the Parliamentary Black Caucus, a group that works to address issues affecting Black communities in Canada. After the murder of George Floyd in 2020, she helped write a statement urging the government to take action against systemic racism. She later gave a major speech in the Senate about the recommendations from the Black Caucus to fight racism in Canada.
In 2021, she joined a special committee to review Canada's laws on medically assisted dying. The committee studied how these laws affect different groups of people and the state of palliative care in the country.
Working with Medical Groups
Throughout her career, Senator Mégie has been a leader in many professional medical groups. She was the president of the Association Médicale Haïtienne à l'Étranger (Haitian Medical Association Abroad) for five years.
From 2014 to 2017, she was president of Médecins francophones du Canada (Francophone Doctors of Canada). She also helped establish the Maison de soins palliatifs de Laval, a palliative care home that opened in 2009, and served as its medical director.
Awards
- June 2001: Received an award from the Laval health authority for her book about in-home healthcare services.
- October 2001: Won the Gilles des Rosiers Award for her work in educating other doctors.
