Laura Sabia

Laura Sabia, OC (September 18, 1916 – October 17, 1996) was a Canadian social activist and feminist.

Laura Sabia
Born
Laura Villela

(1916-09-18)September 18, 1916
Montreal, Quebec, Canada
DiedOctober 17, 1996(1996-10-17) (aged 80)
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Known forSocial activist and feminist
SpouseMichael Joseph Sabia
Children4, including Michael John Sabia

Born Laura Villela in Montreal, Quebec, the daughter of Italian immigrants, she played an important part, in the National Chair of the Committee for the Equality of Women, in the creation of the Royal Commission on the Status of Women called by Prime Minister Lester B. Pearson in February 1967. Sabia received her education at Ville-Marie Convent and McGill University. While in Montreal, Laura was noted as the first female to be a part of St. Catharines Separate School Board in 1953, additionally being the president of multiple disciplines including YMCA and the Community Lecture Series. She was a founding member and, from 1969 to 1973, the first president, of the National Action Committee on the Status of Women. She was an alderwoman for St. Catharines City Council and wrote columns for The Toronto Sun in the 1970s and 80s. She also held the president position at the Canadian Federation of University Women and used her position to reach and inspire woman into pursuing higher education politics. Sabia's contribution continued onto 1975 when she and 10 other women participated in a project for International Women at the United Nations Conference.

Sabia was a two-time candidate for the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada. In the 1968 general election, she finished second in the riding of St. Catharines, Ontario, losing by fewer than 4,000 votes, and came in third in a 1981 by-election in the Toronto riding of Spadina, losing by 1,005 votes.

In 1974, she was made an Officer of the Order of Canada "for her devoted service to the cause of the status of women".[1] In 1983, she was awarded the Governor General's Awards in Commemoration of the Persons Case.[2]

She was married to Michael Sabia and had four children, including Michael John, former head of Bell Canada Enterprises, who is married to Hilary Pearson, the granddaughter of former Prime Minister Lester Pearson.[3]

She died of Parkinson's disease on October 17, 1996, in Toronto, Ontario.[4]

References
  1. "Order of Canada citation". Archived from the original on September 30, 2007. Retrieved March 13, 2006.
  2. "Governor General Awards in Commemoration of the Persons Case - Status of Women Canada". cfc-swc.gc.ca. Retrieved November 21, 2022.
  3. "The SeaBoard Group". Archived from the original on July 16, 2011. Retrieved February 16, 2015.
  4. Anderson, Doris (November 6, 1996). "Lives Lived: LAURA VILLELA SABIA". p. A18.
  • "Debates of the Senate (Hansard) Tribute". Retrieved March 13, 2006.
  • Donn Downey (October 19, 1996). "Laura Sabia: Feminist gave women a hand up". The Globe and Mail.
  • Sabia, L. (1966, April).Canadians- Awake! Women Speaking. p. 6
  • (1965, October 23). ‘Greatest Discrimination’ Levelled At Universities. Women.
  • (1966, October 6) Never under-estimate the power of a Mrs. M. J. Sabia. Toronto Daily Star.
  • (1967, November 27). Feminist asks men for rights, less love. Globe and Mail.
  • (1974, February 19). Woman-power thrust of Sabia’s sorties. Kitchener-Waterloo Record, p. 43.
  • (1974, December 11). Laura Sabia. The St.Catharines Standard.
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