Get A Muzzle On Her!
by M. Carol Jamieson

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On September 14, 1962, at only twenty years old, Carol Jamieson is forced to endure what no one should: her young husband crashes his car and dies, leaving her and their one-year-old son to fend for themselves. Against the odds, she manages to build a magnificent life for herself and her family, carving out a successful career as a female entrepreneur when women in business were few and far between, and making a vital impact on the legacy of the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada. Born in Toronto during World War II, Carol Jamieson begins her life in a home troubled by alcohol and physical abuse, finding refuge in academics and music. After the safety she finds with her first husband is obliterated by tragedy, Carol manages to survive, providing for herself and her infant son. She builds an illustrious career in media and public relations, working for the Miss Canada Pageant and later the CBC. Meanwhile, she becomes an important figure in Canadian politics, campaigning and organizing for countless politicians with the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada, including Prime Minister Joe Clark. Eventually, she builds a successful company of her own, the Smith & Jamieson Tea Company, becoming a major wholesaler for loose-leaf teas across Canada and parts of the USA—turning herself into “Canada’s Tea Lady”. Along the way, she remarries and welcomes a second son. Then, on leaving the Tea Business, Carol lands in the world of Real Estate Development, and is responsible for the delivery of hundreds of new homes, and 20 Retirement homes in Ontario and Quebec, while carving out quality time with her three grandchildren. Today, Carol and her associates are working to address Canada’s affordable housing crisis, with new, fresh thinking and bold approaches. Get a Muzzle on Her! is the story of a bold, tenacious woman making her way in a world of boys’ clubs—whether in the media, politics, or business—and a testament to the way that if you believe in yourself and work hard, you can achieve anything.

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Carol is a WWII baby, born in Toronto and educated in Ottawa, Windsor, Toronto, Newmarket, London, Waterloo and various other parts of the wider world. Widowed with a one-year-old at a very young age, Carol rejected the idea of public or family assistance, and invented herself, first into a Public Relations Consultant, next into a national specialty Tea purveyor (Smith & Jamieson Tea Company) and lastly a Real Estate Developer. Initially, this path produced market housing, then Retirement Homes for Seniors, and finally, Non-Profit affordable ownership housing, where she toils now. Along her life path, Carol’s organizational skills also took her into Federal, Provincial and Municipal politics, where she worked with, walked with and spoke truth to power for over fifty years, regularly delivering results for the late City Councillor Anne Johnston, former Prime minister Joe Clark, former Premier Frank Miller, the late Councillor Howard Joy, former PC Leader Peter Mackay and many others.

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M. Carol Jamieson