Induction year: 2011
Senator Fairbairn represented the Government of Canada at the Nagano 1998 Paralympic Winter Games. While at those Games she learned that there might not be enough money to send a team to next Paralympic Games in Sydney, Australia. To help remedy this situation, Senator Fairburn founded a group, "Friends of the Paralympics", to raise money for the Canadian Paralympic Committee and its athletes. This group became a strong political and fundraising voice for the Canadian Paralympic Movement. Following the Sydney Games in 2000, she helped found the Canadian Paralympic Foundation and became its Chair, with a goal to ensure long-term financial support for Paralympic athletes and the CPC.
During her distinguished career, Senator Fairbairn has been a noted journalist, senior legislative advisor to Prime Minister Pierre Elliot Trudeau, and the first woman to be named Leader of the Government in the Senate.
