Former federal cabinet minister, the Honourable Judith Erola, was awarded the degree of Doctor of Laws, honoris causa, at the 2:30 p.m. ceremony on Wednesday, June 8, “in recognition of outstanding and exemplary service in political and public life, the building of civil society and continuing engagement with Carleton University.”
Judy Erola was a cabinet minister in the governments of Pierre Trudeau and John Turner, holding the positions of minister of state for Mines, minister responsible for the Status of Women and minister of Consumer and Corporate Affairs.
She was also the first woman appointed to the cabinet’s priorities and planning committee, which debates and decides on the direction of government policy. Prior to her career in politics, she worked as a radio and TV broadcaster in Sudbury, Ont., and made history for becoming the first female weather reporter at a Canadian TV station.
In 1987, she became president of the Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association of Canada, a position she held until her retirement in 1998. She served as past chair of the Board for the Canadian Institute for Child Health. At Carleton, she is a member of the advisory committee for the Regulatory Governance Initiative.