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Viola Léger

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The Honourable
Viola Léger
OC ONB
Senator for L'Acadie, New Brunswick
In office
June 13, 2001 – June 29, 2005
Appointed byJean Chrétien
Personal details
Born(1930-06-29)June 29, 1930
Fitchburg, Massachusetts, U.S.
DiedJanuary 28, 2023(2023-01-28) (aged 92)
Dieppe, New Brunswick, Canada
Political partyLiberal
Alma materBoston University

Viola Léger OC ONB (June 29, 1930 – January 28, 2023) was an American-born Canadian actress and politician who served in the Senate of Canada from 2001 to 2005.[1]

Born in Fitchburg, Massachusetts, Léger received a B.A. and a B.Ed. from the Université de Moncton, and an M.F.A. (Theater Education) from Boston University.[2] As an actress, she was most noted for playing the title role in Antonine Maillet's play La Sagouine for both stage and television, performing the role over 3,000 times over the course of her career from 1971 until 2016.[3][4]

She was appointed to the Senate at the recommendation of Prime Minister Jean Chrétien, in 2001, representing the senatorial division of L'Acadie, New Brunswick.[1] She was a member of the Liberal caucus. Léger retired from the Senate on June 29, 2005[5][6] at the mandatory retirement age of 75.[7]

Léger died in Dieppe, New Brunswick on January 28, 2023, at the age of 92.[8][4]

Awards and honours

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She was a Dora Mavor Moore Award winner for lead performance at the 1980 Dora Mavor Moore Awards for the production of La Sagouine at the Théâtre Français de Toronto.[9]

In 1989, she was made an Officer of the Order of Canada.[10] In 2007, she was awarded the Order of New Brunswick.[11] Léger received a Governor General's Performing Arts Award in 2013 for her work as an actress.[12]

References

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  1. ^ a b Conway Daly, "Two new senators bring showbiz element". Brantford Expositor, September 1, 2001.
  2. ^ Margaret Patricia Eaton, "La Sagouine set to take the stage in Moncton". Times & Transcript, January 18, 2016.
  3. ^ Jennifer Gouchie-Terris, "Le Pays de la Sagouine pays tribute to Acadian actress Viola Leger". Times & Transcript, June 16, 2017.
  4. ^ a b Morrow, Martin (18 February 2023). "Acadian actor Viola Léger embodied the iconic character La Sagouine". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 16 January 2024.
  5. ^ "The Hon. Viola Léger, Senator". Parliament of Canada. Retrieved 1 June 2023.
  6. ^ Kathy Kaufield, "Tobique woman headed to Senate; Sandra Lovelace Nicholas fought to restore women's aboriginal status". Telegraph-Journal, August 31, 2005.
  7. ^ Senate of Canada: Senate Procedure and Practice, June 2015, p. 9.
  8. ^ "Actress and former senator Viola Léger, best known as La Sagouine, dies at 92". Toronto Star. January 29, 2023.
  9. ^ Ray Conlogue, "Dora Mavor Moore Awards suffer from stage fright". The Globe and Mail, January 27, 1981.
  10. ^ "Poet, skater, ex-minister named to Order of Canada". The Globe and Mail, December 22, 1989.
  11. ^ "10 enshrined into the Order of New Brunswick". The Daily Gleaner, October 31, 2007.
  12. ^ Brent Mazerolle, "Governor General honours renowned performer; Accolades Viola Leger, best known for La Sagouine, given lifetime achievement award". Telegraph-Journal, April 11, 2013.
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