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Speaking Notes for The Honourable Rona Ambrose, P.C., M.P. Minister of Public Works and Government Services and Minister for Status of Women at the Women's Symposium – Building Leadership and Community

Edmonton, Alberta
Saturday, September 15, 2012

Check upon delivery

It's an honour to join you today!

Introduction

As I look around the room, I see familiar faces – many women leaders from in and around this great city and province.

And I see many aspiring leaders: women who are studying, training, being mentored; women who are preparing themselves to take on the challenge of the future.

And there will be challenges ahead; you can count on that!

But as someone once said, true leadership is about seeing possibilities rather than problems.

Otherwise, you wouldn't be here today. If all you saw were problems and obstacles, the lure of leadership wouldn't interest you. Today's Symposium is all about possibilities. Today, you are working together to strengthen your leadership and decision-making skills. Tomorrow, you'll take your skills back to your communities – and from there, the possibilities are endless!

You're here because you see those possibilities; you see the potential – in yourselves and in each other; you see a brighter future and how, as women, you can have a hand in creating it!

And we must secure a brighter future for women and girls! Why? Because it means a brighter future for everyone!

All of Canada is stronger when women and girls are prosperous, safe and helping to lead our nation. All Canadians benefit when women and girls are full participants – taking the lead in equal numbers, side by side with men and boys. And it starts at the grass-roots level.

Women in Leadership Roles

Women in leadership roles – it just makes sense.  When women are leaders, barriers come down and opportunities open up.  When women are leaders, we have role models to inspire us.  When women are leaders, they are living proof that we can be strategic, productive, powerful decision-makers who make a difference for our communities and our country!

We're not there yet, but we are making progress!  Just look at the numbers of women in elected office here in Canada.

Today, five premiers are women – an unprecedented number!  And women lead seven other provincial/territorial parties.

Women represent about 22 per cent of elected members of provincial and territorial legislative assemblies.

Here in Alberta, a total of 23 women make up 26.4 per cent of the recently elected legislature.  This represents an increase of 5.9 per cent from the 2008 election, when just 17 women were elected.

In municipal governments, as elsewhere, change is needed. Only 16 per cent of Canadian mayors and a quarter of city councillors are women, only 2-per-cent more than in 2010.

Women on Corporate Boards

And yes, there is work to do, on many fronts. How about we tackle the boardrooms of our nation?  Women are significantly under-represented on corporate boards.

A 2011 study by The Deloitte Global Centre for Corporate Governance found that just 12.5 per cent of Canadian corporate board members are women.

Having more women on corporate boards is smart for the economy – our government's number-one priority.  Our Economic Action Plan 2012 supports job creation, economic growth and long-term prosperity.  Promoting women on corporate boards goes hand-in-hand with our Plan.

Research shows that businesses with more women on their boards are more profitable.  They routinely outperform those that have fewer women.  A study of more than 800 European firms showed that businesses with at least three women on their boards weathered the 2008 economic crisis better than firms with fewer or no women on their boards.  With economic uncertainty still ahead, that's the kind of business performance Canada needs if we are to continue to grow our economy.

It just makes sense to recruit from the whole talent pool, not just part of it.  We should look to diversity and gender parity as new standards for excellence.

Through our Economic Action Plan 2012, the Government of Canada has created an advisory council of leaders from the public and private sectors to promote the participation of women on corporate boards.

The members of the council will be leaders from the public and private sectors.  Their mission will be to work on increasing the number of women serving on corporate boards of directors in Canada.

Government Action in Supporting Women's Leadership

That's just one of many ways the Government of Canada is working to promote women in leadership roles.

Another is by supporting projects organizations carry out across the country. We are very committed to this. Status of Women Canada's (SWC) Women's Program supports projects to promote women's leadership and democratic participation.

In fact, through Status of Women Canada, our support for community-based projects has nearly doubled since 2006-2007, from $10.8 million to close to $19 million – its highest level ever.

And since 2007, also through SWC's Women's Program, more than $16.5 million in funding has been approved for projects that specifically promote women's leadership and democratic participation.

We are very proud of that!  Let me tell you about just a few leadership-focused projects we are supporting.

The Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) has our support for an eighteen-month project that is providing invaluable, inspiring mentorship to young women across Canada.  Its goal is to empower them to take on leadership roles.  This project gives young women a window on a world in which so many of us live and work every day – the world of elected office.

National in scope, its gives these young women various kinds of hands-on experiences, such as job shadowing a municipal councillor.  As mentors, seasoned elected officials can share what it's like to be a woman councilor, how municipal government works and give the young women a taste of front-line leadership in action.  Our hope is that the tools resulting from this project will enable communities nationwide to roll out similar programs.

We also supported the Minerva Foundation for BC Women on its project called Women Leading the Way.  It aims to help women develop leadership skills through mentorship and training in the processes of political, economic and social governance.

We also supported a project to increase women's representation on boards by increasing the number of board-ready women and educating corporate leaders about board diversity.

And we invested in a project by the Mouvement Ontarien des femmes immigrantes francophonesto enable 24 francophone women to develop the skills needed to participate on the boards of schools, community or private-sector organizations.

These projects are opening the doors of leadership to women.

The Time is Now!

There is no better time that now for strengthening the representation of women in leadership and decision-making roles.  So much has happened and is happening, and so many worthy role models are out there to inspire us to action.

The Famous Five, for example.  In July, right here in Edmonton, a fantastic mural by local artist Kris Friesen was unveiled – part of the Giants of Edmonton series.  This one is dedicated to the five Alberta women who, through the Persons Case of 1929, challenged the status quo, creating lasting and positive change for all Canadian woman.

So if you're looking for inspiration, take a walk to the Melcor parkade on 102nd Street Northwest.  There, you'll see this mural depicting Emily Murphy, Louise McKinney, Irene Parlby, Nellie McClung and Henrietta Muir Edwards.  Consider the challenge they took on and perhaps you'll come away inspired to tackle a few more today!

Canada's history is alive with inspiring women and girls of achievement – and like the Famous Five, some of them made history right in our own communities.  They are truly worth celebrating.

And that's exactly what we do each year.  We're just days away from October, Women's History Month in Canada, and October 11, the first-ever International Day of the Girl!

Last December, the UN General Assembly formally adopted the resolution designating the International Day of the Girl.  I'm sure you'll be as excited as I am to celebrate both Women's History Month and the International Day of the Girl, especially since the theme of Women's History Month is Strong Girls, Strong Canada: Leaders from the Start!

We all know outstanding girls.  And I'm sure we can all reflect on how our girlhood dreams and ambitions underpin the women we are today.

The lives of girls, as children and as future women, are strongly linked to the social fabric of their communities; they both reflect and influence life in their communities.  For some 20 years, Women's History Month has helped to fill the gaps in by showcasing the "herstory" beyond Canada's history, celebrating women's achievements and contributions.

It makes sense, therefore, to fill in the gaps in our history by exploring and sharing the roles and achievements of girls.  From girl guides to hockey players and from entrepreneurs to community organizers, girls have played an important role in shaping our country's history.

I encourage you to celebrate these two milestone commemorations in your own families and communities.  And if you have a chance, reach out and encourage a girl as she goes along her path in life.  Who knows where it might lead?

Conclusion

Clearly, this Symposium is not only relevant and timely, it is hugely relevant and timely!  The time is now for women to take on leadership and decision-making roles of all kinds, in every community, in every region of our country.  Only then can we truly achieve our dreams for Canada, for Canadians and yes, even for the world!

Leadership starts with ourselves, then spirals out to embrace and inspire others.  We need strong leadership to achieve meaningful, lasting change – and we need leadership to come from men and women.  In short, as a certain mythical uncle famously said, "We need you!"

Today, you're engaging in the important work of building women's leadership by becoming leaders or by strengthening your skills as the leaders you already are.  By day's end, you'll all be stronger for it – and so will your communities and our country.

Please accept my best wishes for a truly memorable and productive Symposium!  Thank you.

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Date Modified:
2012-09-28