Francene Cosman, a political legend in Nova Scotia, began her nursing career in the mid 1960s. She worked in obstetrics for several years, then paused her career after the birth of her second daughter to raise her family. Subsequently, a long political career ensued, first as a county councillor, then the first mayor of Bedford, NS. She was appointed president of the provincial Status of Women; four years later she chaired the task force on the concerns of women and became the executive director of the Liberal Party. In 1993, she was elected to the NS Legislature and became deputy speaker. In her second term of office, she was appointed to Executive Council as Minister of Community Services, Minister for the Civil Service and Minister of the Status of Women.