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Statement

Ottawa, Ontario
November 2 2012

Statement by the Honourable Rona Ambrose, Minister for Public Works and Government Services and Minister for Status of Women concerning Malala Yousafzai

The Honourable Rona Ambrose, Minister for Public Works and Government Services and Minister for Status of Women issued the following statement today concerning Malala Yousafazai:

The recent shooting of young Pakistani activist Malala Yousafzai by the Taliban has brought the issue of girls' rights to kitchen tables and classrooms across Canada and around the world.

The Government of Canada has championed girls' leadership globally because we recognize that girls' rights are human rights, and that strong girls help to build prosperous and free nations. That is why Canada successfully led the international community in establishing October 11 as the International Day of the Girl.

The message is simple. Girls and boys, women and men must work together to advance the rights of girls and overcome the barriers they face in order that girls' rights as human rights will be fully realized.

Malala was targeted and attacked because extremists like the Taliban recognize that girls who know their rights are ready to exercise them and are a powerful force of change in the world.

Our government is setting the stage for girls to become powerful voices, at home and abroad.

A home, we support projects that help girls take on leadership roles in their communities. In my city of Edmonton, the Canadian Council of Muslim Women is empowering girls and young women to overcome barriers and become community leaders. And the Edmonton Multicultural Coalition Association is helping girls and young women participate more fully in Canadian society.

Nationally, the Federation of Canadian Municipalities is helping young women across Canada build leadership skills in their communities. In Quebec, the Table de concertation des groupes de femmes du Bas-Saint-Laurent is mentoring women candidates in municipal elections.

Our government is continuing to engage girls and young women in taking on leadership roles in their community and strengthening their economic security, for example, through last June's call for proposals for community projects under the theme"Setting the Stage for Girls and Young Women to Succeed."

Internationally, Canada is actively supporting girls' empowerment and leadership. In Afghanistan, we have helped create more than 4,000 community-based schools, providing basic education to 125,000 school children, approximately 85 percent of whom are girls. In Jordan, we are improving the quality of education and employment programs to help increase the number of skilled women in the workforce so that girls have more opportunities when they grow up. And in Mali, Canada has helped increase access to primary education for girls by 9.4 percent between 2008 and 2010.

These are just a few of the projects Canada is supporting to promote girls' rights as human rights, and to empower girls to become leaders in their communities, at home and abroad.

Thousands of Canadians have shown their support for Malala and for the rights of all girls by celebrating October 11 as the International Day of the Girl, and by signing a petition supporting a nomination of this brave young woman for a Nobel Peace Prize. Our government stands with Canadians in support of girls, and we will continue to lead the world in supporting and promoting girls' leadership.

Honourable Rona Ambrose
Minister for Status of Women

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Date Modified:
2012-11-02