Muriel Smith: Personality Profile

Photo from: Manitoba Federation Of Labour

As Muriel Smith leans forward in her chair at Bread & Circuses Bakery Cafe, the sun glitters off the dove necklace her late husband designed and had made for her in 1976. It is still in perfect condition. 80-year-old Smith’s face is gently lined from determination and laughter. These lines represent the tough and tender approach she takes to her personal and professional life.

“I’m not caught up in labels,” says Muriel Smith, first female Deputy Premier in Canada in 1981 and winner of the Governor General Award in 2007 in Commemoration of the Person’s Case. She has been called many labels in her life: ecological humanist, passionate feminist, flag burner and baby killer. Smith has taught herself how to avoid becoming too emotional in her career as a politician.

In 1975, Smith was elected as the first female leader of the Manitoba New Democratic Party (NDP). She has been involved in many social action groups: United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM), United Nations Platform for Action Committee Manitoba (UNPAC), Manitoba Action Centre on the Status of Women, Human Rights Commission of Manitoba, National Council of Women of Canada. Smith contributed to the establishment of many essential government funded and human rights programs.

Growing up, Smith lived in the isolated town of Britannia Beach, British Columbia. “I was always curious about what lay beyond the mountains,” she says of growing up in such a remote area. Her blue eyes soften as she speaks of her father, an engineer, who was always very supportive of her mother’s dream of gender equality. Her mother’s influence encouraged her to become involved in breaking down traditional barriers between the genders.

As a younger woman, Smith claims she would have been too sensitive to work in politics. But since she became involved in social action groups and the NDP, she realized that she was not alone in her aspirations for equality among all people. “Groups like The YWCA- A Turning Point For Women taught me how to be more comfortable in groups and how to act on what is happening in the world. I am no longer as self-conscious or individualistic.”

“Many women become like men when entering politics, cold and power-hungry, like Maggie Thatcher, former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. Whereas I had my own style, I managed to bring a mixture of both male and female qualities to the table.” Smith says she learned much about emotional reasoning and logical thinking from her father. She was able to combine the lessons from him with her experiences in the social action groups to further form her tough and tender approach in her professional life.

Smith married her husband in 1952 when she was 22 years old. Before having their four children, they spent a lot of time abroad, attending school and working for a year in England, traveling through Pakistan, and the Netherlands. Smith says, “I think the fact that I was able to see so much at such a young age opened my eyes to how people are treated all over the world, not just in Canada.”

Each of Smith’s four daughters expresses admiration for their strong, motivated mother. “She is loved by many because of who she is and because of what she lives by, both publically and privately,” says daughter Carolyn Smith. The youngest of four, Cathy, speaks highly of her mother’s passion for lifelong learning. “She is always reading something new that she can learn from and contributing her thoughts to various groups to which she belongs.”

Member of feminine social action groups UNPAC and UNIFEM, Tara Pratt, says, “Her house has more books than you have ever seen in your life.” Pratt often meets at Smith’s home for UNPAC gatherings and is always in awe of her book collection and passion for learning.

            Smith fingers the dove pendant hanging around her neck, making sure it is perfectly in place. She says, “Most men had viewed the idea of equality between the sexes as losing power. To me, the outcome is more complex, resulting in the loss of the illusion of romance and the idea of marriage forever.”