Born,
Argos, Greece, Eleni Bakopanos immigrated, as a preschooler, from Greece
to Canada with her parents who chose to settle in Montreal in the 1960s.
Eleni Bakopanos is the first Greek-born Canadian woman to be elected to
Canada's Parliament. First elected to the House of Commons, 1993, representing
the riding of Saint-Denis, Montreal, Mrs. Bakopanos was returned to Parliament,
1997, representing the Montreal riding of Ahuntsic. Currently, Member,
Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs and Associate Member,
Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Trade, Mrs. Bakopanos
is also a member of the Sub-Committee on Human Rights and International
Development. A McGill University graduate with an Honours Degree in Political
Science and History (where she also studied law), Mrs. Bakopanos worked
on the 1980 Quebec Referendum and assumed the position of Provincial Co-ordinator,
Ethnic Groups Commission, for the Quebec Liberal Party. Subsequently, she
was policy advisor to various Quebec ministers responsible for Cultural
Communities and Immigration. Decorated, 1997, Grand Officer, Infante D.
Henrique, the highest honour given to a civilian by the Portuguese government,
Mrs. Bakopanos also received the Golden Cross of the Order of the Phoenix,
February 2000, awarded by the President of the Hellenic Republic. Mother
of two daughters, Mrs. Bakopanos, in this view, participates, 1997, in
the annual Greek Independence Day Parade, Montreal, with Mayor of Athens,
Dimitrios Avramopoulos, at her side. [Photo, courtesy Eleni Bakopanos]
