by Dave Tulloch
Dr. Glenda Simms who was appointed by Prime Minister Brian Mulroney to become the first president of the Canadian Advisory Council on the Status of Women, passed away at the Ottawa General Hospital on December 31, 2021, at the age of 83. The following is an extract from the profile of Dr. Simms that will be published in the book “Ottawa’s Caribbean Community – History and Profiles” scheduled to be released later this year.
Glenda P. Simms was born at Stanmore in the parish of St. Elizabeth in Jamaica and was raised by her great-grandmother who instilled in her that she could do anything that she set her mind to do. “And so, when I went to St. Alban’s Primary school in Stanmore, and they wanted me to do the things that girls are supposed to do. I wouldn’t.” Instead, Glenda spent her time reading and learning about those things that were not taught in school. She excelled in her classes starting at the St Albans primary school in Stanmore and continuing throughout her academic career. She later attended and graduated from Bethlehem Teacher’s College, and then she taught at Vauxhall Senior School as well as at the Vere Technical High and at Cornwall College in Montego Bay, Jamaica.
In 1966, she migrated to Canada and attended the University of Alberta where she earned a bachelor’s and master’s degree in Education. She went on to earn a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) Educational Psychology from the same university. She also received a Certificate in the Program for Leaders in Development from Harvard University, USA.
Dr. Simms moved on to distinguish herself in the fields of Education and Public Service. She received numerous accolades, including four honorary doctorates respectively, from the University of Alberta, Queens University, the University of Manitoba, and The University of Western Ontario. She obtained the Black Achievement Award for contributions in public policy; the Inter Amicus Human Rights Award from McGill University; and a Citation for Citizenship from the Canadian Government.
In 1990 Prime Minister Brian Mulroney appointed Dr. Simms to be President of the Canadian Advisory Council on the Status of Women, and in this role, she was selected as one of Canada’s representatives to the Global Women’s Conference held in Kenya. After serving for a period of six years, Dr. Simms returned to her native Jamaica to join the Jamaican government services as Executive Director of the Bureau of Women’s Affairs, a position that she held until August 2005.
Dr. Simms was a staunch advocate for the elimination of discriminatory practices in society, and lectures extensively – locally and internationally – on a variety of feminist, educational, social, and political issues. As an author of numerous publications, an advisor to governments, a gender specialist, researcher, and projects leader, Dr. Simms has contributed immensely to the implementation of important social and political initiatives in Canada, the Philippines, the Turks, and Caicos Islands, and Jamaica. She was a founding member of both the Congress of Black Women of Canada and the National Organization of Immigrant and Visible Minority Women, through her tenure as the President of the Canadian Advisory Council on the Status of Women and the Executive Director of the Jamaican Bureau of Women’s Affairs.
In 2014 she was awarded the Order of Distinction by the Jamaican Government for her work in leading several government initiatives on women’s equality. After her retirement she returned to her family in Ottawa, spending her time focusing on her memoirs.
Dave Tulloch was born in Jamaica. He immigrated to Canada in 1970 pursue post-secondary education. He earned a diploma in electronics engineering technology from Algonquin College, Bachelor of Admin and Bachelor of Commerce (Hon) from the University of Ottawa and a Master of Business Administration from Concordia University. He has an extensive career in information technology and in IT consulting with Systemhouse, KPMG and Oracle Corporation where he retired as a director. Dave taught IT and business courses at CEGEP (Hull) and tutored at the Wake Tech College in North Carolina. He wrote articles for the Ottawa Spectrum publication that focused on Ottawa’s Visible Minorities community and has written a book documenting the life stories of early Caribbean Immigrants to Ottawa, scheduled for publication later this year. He can be contacted via email: [email protected]