Born in Rome, raised in France and Portugal, she came to Canada with her family at the end of WW II. She did her MA ( Sociology) at the Montreal University and obtained a doctorate from the Sorbonne in Paris.

Joining politics, she was the first woman from Quebec to be elected to the House of Commons in October 1972. She was re-elected in 1974, 1979, 1980 -- in the last two elections with the largest majority in Canadian history. She served as Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs (1975), as Minister of National Revenue (1976) & as Minister of National Health and Welfare (1977 to 1984) before leaving politics in September 1984.

A university professor since, she is now Professor Emeritus in the University of Ottawa

*19 February--4 March* *in colaboration with the Centre for Women's Development Studies*