KENORA – POLITICS – In 1992, October was designated by the Government of Canada as Women’s History Month to celebrate the outstanding achievements of women throughout Canada’s history. The month’s celebrations include International Day of the Girl on October 11 and Persons Day on October 18. This year’s theme is Make an impact, honouring women and girls who have made a lasting impression as business leaders, politicians, researchers, artists, and activists. Their work has helped to shape Canada and Northwestern Ontario into a thriving, prosperous place to live.
As part of the celebrations, Status of Women Canada is launching Women of Impact in Canada, an online gallery that celebrates the extraordinary lives and achievements of more than 100 women and girls from the past and present. The gallery introduces Canadians to these women, through photographs, biographies, timelines of historic milestones, as well as an interactive map of Canada.
By sharing their stories, we can mark their place in history and inspire others to follow in their footsteps. The gallery is not a complete list of women of impact, but rather, an evolving gallery of women where Canadians can contribute by nominating someone to be recognized as a leader. The site also contains resources of materials and activities that can be used by organizations, educators, and everyday Canadians to learn, engage, and be inspired.
Working towards gender equality is not just the right thing to do – it’s also the smart thing to do. We’ll add $150 billion dollars to our economy in less than a decade if we successfully bring in policies of fairness and equality. There are sectors in our economy with significant labour shortages that represent high-quality, well-paid jobs. As a government, we are working to remove barriers to participation in these fields so that we can fill these jobs and grow our economy.
If we get this right, we all benefit. While October is a time to celebrate women’s accomplishments, it is also important to remember that gender equality is an issue for everyone. Advancing gender equality not only increases economic prosperity and provides quality jobs for Northerners; it also leads to help create a world of limitless possibilities – for all of us, regardless of gender.
