Long-time federal politician and former Liberal senator Sheila Finestone has passed away at the age of 82.

She was first elected as the MP for Mont Royal in 1984, and then again in 1988, 1993 and in 1997. She was appointed to the Senate in 1999, and completed her term in 2002.

She was the Secretary of State for Multiculturalism and the Status of Women from 1993 and later served as the critic for Youth, Arts and Culture, Communications and the Status of Women at various points in her career.

"It is no exaggeration to describe Sheila Finestone as a born leader," read a retirement tribute on the website of Senator Lucie Pepin. "She was totally committed to her community very early on. A born catalyst, she has always devoted herself to building bridges between groups of women, such as the Federation of Jewish Women and the Federation of Francophone Women, which led to her presidency of the F�d�ration des femmes du Qu�bec."