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Betty Lee

People, East Asian, Business, Entrepreneurship

Betty Lee

Betty Lee is an entrepreneur in food processing and catering and is a social activist for the advancement of Canadian women, women who have immigrated to Canada in particular. She was born and raised in Singapore and arrived in Canada in 1963 when she was quite young. Upon arrival in Canada, she had many hopes and dreams relating to being successful in her new home. She attributes her success to hard work and determination; this hard work was recognized when in 1992 she was honoured with a New Brunswick Spirit Award and in 1993 she received an Atlantic Women Entrepreneur Award. She received the Citation for Citizenship in 1993.

Lee has worked tirelessly for social changes and has constantly contributed to the advancement of Canadian women. She was a cofounder of the New Brunswick Chinese Cultural Association and the Women Working with Immigrant Women group in the 1980s. Later on, she was appointed by New Brunswick Premiers Richard Hatfield and Frank McKenna to the New Brunswick Advisory Committee on the Status of Women. She was also appointed by the President of the Treasury Board of Canada to the Women Advisory Committee on Employment Equity and to the Solicitor General's Task Force on Federally Sentanced Women.

In 1985, Lee was elected as the founding President of the National Congregation of Immigrant and Visible Minority Women of Canada (NCIVMWC). She was elected as the Vice Chair of the Legal Education and Action Fund (LEAF) in 1992. She is also a member of the Fredericton Botanical Garden Association, is a registered music teacher in New Brunswick and is a member of the Canadian Federation of University Women (CFUW).