Former senator Joyce Fairbairn dies at 82

Former Liberal senator Joyce Fairbairn has died at the age of 82.

She began her career as a journalist working in the parliamentary press gallery before entering the political realm, becoming an adviser to then-prime minister Pierre Trudeau.

During her nearly three decades in the upper chamber, Fairbairn was the first woman named government leader in the Senate.

She retired from the Senate in 2013.

Fairbairn was also a well-known supporter of the Canadian Paralympic Committee and was inducted into the Canadian Paralympic Hall of Fame as a builder in 2011.

In 2000, she helped found and became chair of the Canadian Paralympic Foundation, an organization that aims to ensure long-term financial support for athletes.

by The Canadian Press