Daviau was born in 1946 and received a law degree from Université de Montréal. In the early seventies she became a founding member of the progressive Montreal Citizens' Movement, also known as Rassemblement des citoyens et citoyennes de Montréal (RCM) in French.
Daviau ran again in 1986 in the district of Saint-Jean-Baptiste and won. She was re-elected in 1990 and in 1994, representing the district of Plateau-Mont-Royal.
In 1998 Daviau became the RCM nominee for the mayoral election and Leader of the Opposition.[1] Not long after though, she left the party and announced that she would support Jacques Duchesneau for mayor.[2] She sat as an Independent and did not run for re-election in 1998.
Biennally, since 2004, the City of Montreal recognizes a person's remarkable commitment and outstanding contribution to the community by awarding the Thérèse-Daviau Award.[4]
The citizen of the year award recognizes an individual who has distinguished themselves through their work in social development, sports and leisure, or culture, creating a significant contribution to improving the quality of life of Montrealers, or to advancing municipal democracy. Daviau was noted for these qualities over more than a quarter century, by defending the interests of Montrealers in municipal politics.[5]
