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Lincoln Alexander
First Black Canadian member of Parliament, cabinet minister & Lieutenant Governor of Ontario
The veteran who broke every colour barrier Canadian politics had — from the House of Commons to the vice-regal office — and spent his last decades making sure others could follow.
The rise
Born in Toronto to Caribbean immigrant parents, Alexander served in the Royal Canadian Air Force during World War II, then studied law at Osgoode Hall. In 1968 he became the first Black member of the Canadian House of Commons, representing Hamilton West, and in 1979 became the first Black federal cabinet minister as Minister of Labour.