Good afternoon, esteemed speakers, distinguished guests, colleagues and friends,
Let me first express my thanks to all of you for participating in the 2015 She Will Run Conference, on the eve of the 104th annual International Women’s Day.
I would like to specially thank our incredible keynote speakers, Dr. Kellie Leitch, Lorraine Rekmans, and Lynne Steele for your wisdom and advice. We are grateful for your willingness to share your experiences, lessons learned, and good practices.
I also would like to extend a warm thank you to my fellow exec members of Equal Voice uOttawa for all of your hard work and dedication that you poured into the planning of this conference.
In my closing remarks, I would like to say a few words about what we have learned today:
We learned about how privileged we are to live in a country where women are allowed to participate in politics. We learned that parliament needs diversity – it is essential in order to ensure that our country is best served. We learned that politics is not always about winning – it is about sharing integrity and hope for the future with our fellow Canadians.
We learned that we have the right to be here. We have the right to participate. We have the right to contribute.
We learned to go up and show up. We should not be afraid to be the only woman standing. We need to challenge ourselves and others.
We learned to always get dressed for a meeting 😉
We learned to stay passionate and to stay true to ourselves.
We learned that “change cannot be dictated – it must be a work in action”.
Now, this is where your journey begins – for some of you, this conference is only a small step in a larger process. Perhaps this journey leads you towards law, towards local, provincial, or federal politics, or maybe even towards becoming our second female prime minister. I hope that as you continue your journey, you place women’s rights, dignity, justice, and equality high on your agenda, alongside your other political concerns, in the knowledge that women’s equality and rights are the rights of a whole nation.
Reach out to more women and remain inclusive. Be open-minded and determined. Support and encourage each other.
To quote the 2015 International Women’s Day theme: MAKE IT HAPPEN. Go out and get involved in politics. Go out and vote. Go out and meet the politicians who are only a mere 10-15 minutes away from campus. Go out and RUN.
Thank you.
Closing remarks
—-Danika Leminski, Official journalist/blogger of Equal Voice uOttawa Chapter
On Saturday, March 7th, 2015, Equal Voice uOttawa proudly presented our main event of the year: The 2015 She Will Run Conference!
Like our ‘She Will Run’ series, the [sold out!] conference included speakers, networking opportunities, and activities that helped provide the foundation to the skills, tools and support systems needed for young women to participate in Canadian politics.
This year, we had the pleasure to announce that we were joined by the following group of distinguished women:
Our Distinguished Speakers
The Hon. Minister of Labour and Minister of Status of Women, Dr. Kellie Leitch
Lorraine Rekmans, Green Party candidate for Leeds-Grenville-Thousand Islands and Rideau Lakes, and the shadow cabinet critic for Indigenous Affairs
Lynne Steele, President of the Ontario Women’s Liberal Commission (OWLC)
Our Esteemed VIP Guests
Marianne Wilkinson, City of Ottawa Councillor for Kanata North
Karen McKrimmon, retired Lieutenant Colonel of the Canadian Forces and federal Liberal candidate in her for Kanata-Carleton
Amanda Simard, Councillor at Russell Township and Policy Advisor at Parliament of Canada
Penny Thompson, ran for City Counselorship for the Rideau-Rockcliffe Ward in 2014
Elanor Brodie, EDA President of the Ottawa-Vanier Conservative Association
Catherine Fortin-Lefaivre, ran for council in Rideau-Vanier Ward
We would like to thank all of our speakers, guests, colleagues, and friends for coming out to such an inspirational and motivational event!
You can find the 2015 She Will Run Closing Speech here, as was requested.
From left to right: Angélique Barray, Marianne Wilkinson, Kris Rondolo, Amanda Simard, Nicole Rutkowski, Danika Leminski, Elanor Brodie, Jessica Saviotti, Sarah Fulham, and Bingjie Becky ShenFrom left to right: Bingjie Becky Shen, Delaney Freedman-Jackson, Emily York, Hon. Dr. Kellie Leitch, Nicole Rutkowski, Jessica Saviotti, and Danika LeminskiHon. Dr. Kellie Leitch with her She Will Run Thank You Mug and Nicole Rutkowski!From left to right: Jessica Saviotti, Angélique Barray, Lynne Steele, Kris Rondolo, and Nicole RutkowskiFrom left to right: Jessica Saviotti, Lorraine Rekmans, Danika Leminski, and Nicole RutkowskiFuture Prime Minister of Canada? With Catherine Fortin-Lefaivre and her daughter.
—-Danika Leminski, Official journalist/blogger of Equal Voice uOttawa Chapter
This year we are launching “She Will Run Series” events to which a number of female speakers who are representative in their field or from a political party are invited. On the 27th of November, we had the biggest turnout among our events with the most speakers, including Anita Vandenbeld—Federal Liberal candidate of Ottawa-West Nepean, speaking about her political participation on an international level; Christine Belley and David Piccini from the Electoral District Association (EDA) of the Conservative Party of Canada for the riding of Ottawa-Vanier, speaking on how you can get involved in local politics; Lucy Abbot, the Counselor for Energy and Environment at the US Embassy; and Councilor Mathieu Fleury and his campaign team.
Anita VandenbeldLucy K AbbottChristine Belley and David Piccini
The speakers presented their perspectives about women in Canadian politics. Anita was such an excellent presenter that her an hour and a half speech on various aspects drew audience’s closes attention all the time. One eye-catching point she talked about was the electoral system which posted significant impact on election result, including women’s election. Countries with quota elect an average of 24% women compared to 12% without quotas. And those with proportional representation elect an average of 25% women compared to 14% for First-Past-the-Post. Looking at both parliamentary and republican, we’ll find that women are more likely to be elected Prime Minister rather than president. Since there are increasingly awareness of women along with feminist movements like periods of crisis and revolution of certain scale taking place, women tend to be equated with change.
Another speaker, Lucy Abbott. It was her first time coming to our event and what made us happy and proud was that everybody loved her and her speech and all said that it was brilliant to have her on our event. Although her speech was brief, it was impressive with a lot of fun. She introduced her education background and her career as a diplomat and spared more time to answer audience’s questions at the end of the event. One of the points mentioned by her was that a person’s interest in politics mattered. Personally, I admire her a lot and appreciate everything. As the first speaker invited by myself, I am grateful to her for offering me this opportunity and making this experience unforgettable to me.
The other speakers from the EDA are only a few years older than us and they graduated from University of Ottawa. They brought up the importance of getting involved in politics. Just simply get involved and you’ll get to know it better and better.
SpeakersSpeakers and EV Exec members
Overall, this event held by us was successful and educative. It gave us a lesson on women’s participation in Canadian politics from speakers’ perspectives who are indeed involved in politics. We were able to understand the big picture of women in politics through the introduction on political aspect like the electoral system as well as speakers’ personal experiences.
—-Bingjie Becky Shen, Official journalist/blogger of Equal Voice Uottawa Chapter
Group photo of our speakers and guests! Catherine Fortin-Lefaivre (center left), SFUO President Anne-Marie Roy (back left), Anita Vandenbeld (center), Samantha Somerville (front), Mary Anne Carter (center right), and Equal Voice UO President Nicole Rutkowski (right)
Have you ever thought about running for office? Were you ever curious to find out what it is like for a woman to enter the world of politics?
On September 25th, Equal Voice UO hosted our first ever Meet & Greet to answer these questions (and more!) with Anita Vandenbeld and Catherine Fortin-Lefaivre, two inspiring women in our community with the knowledge and experience of running for office.
Catherine Fortin-Lefaivre, currently a Municipal Councillor Candidate for Rideau-Vanier, described the hurdles she has to overcome while running for office, from battling gender biases to becoming a better multitasker. Catherine described what it is like to be a candidate while raising two young children and how her hectic mornings can make it more difficult to run for office – but despite all this, she learned that a) she could become more efficient and b) it is possible to be involved in politics, as a woman with a family.
Anita Vandebeld was the Federal Liberal candidate in Ottawa West-Nepean in 2011. She is running again for Liberal nomination to be a candidate in Ottawa West-Nepean for the next federal election and is a global project manager for iKNOW Politics, a partnership project working around the world on supporting women’s political participation. In addition to telling us about her experience in politics, Anita also divulged some important lessons that can be used in and out of politics such as: the importance of networking, getting involved at a young age, finding a mentor, and working hard while sticking to your morals.
Both women brought to light glitches in the political system that make it difficult for women to participate, from complex issues like gender biases, to structural issues, such as ambiguous nomination dates.
Overall, the Meet & Greet inspired and interested a roomful of men and women, including SFUO’s president, Anne-Marie Roy!
If you could not make it to this event, or if you enjoyed attending it, keep your eyes peeled for Equal Voice UO’s next event!
We would also like to thank Starbucks and David’s Tea for the delicious refreshments!
In conversation with SFUO President Anne-Marie Roy (left), Catherine Fortin-Lefaivre (center), and Equal Voice UO President Nicole Rutkowski (right)Full-house listening to Anita Vandenbeld!
– Danika Leminski, official reporter/blogger of EV
The uOttawa Equal Voice Chapter proudly presents She Will Run.
WHAT is SHE WILL RUN? She Will Run is a full day seminar taking place on International Women’s Day to engage and inspire women to become part of the Canadian Politics.
WHERE? LMX 339 from 10am-4pm
The SHE WILL RUN seminar will have a viewing of the documentary MissRepresentation, a ToastMasters crash course on tools for public speaking and a talk by special guest speaker Anita Vandenbeld.
COST: 5$ for the seminar with lunch and refreshments
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