Youth Dialogue on Women Shaping Democracy

Rideau Hall, Tuesday, March 3, 2009

It is so wonderful to see so many young people here who are committed to defending the full recognition of the rights of girls and women, particularly with International Women’s Day less than a week away.

To mark the occasion, I will be travelling to Liberia at the invitation of their president, Her Excellency Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, the first woman on the African continent to be elected as head of State.

She is a woman I greatly respect for the courage and determination she shows in rebuilding a country that was devastated by horrors of war and poverty.

I will be speaking at the opening of an international conference on women’s issues that will bring together heads of State and women from all walks of life and from all around the world.

It is worth mentioning that the president of Finland, Her Excellency Tarja Halonen, is co-presiding the conference. The former president of Ireland and former UN High Commissioner for human rights, Mary Robinson, will also be among the participants.

We will be exploring some key issues in a world where women continue to be underrepresented and far too often overlooked, if not outright excluded.

We will also be talking about leadership, working conditions, equality between girls and boys, between women and men; about the role of women in building peace in the world, about preserving the environment to improve our quality of life.

For my part, I am extremely proud to be able to share our Canadian perspective.

Over the course of the past three years, I have had the privilege of meeting with women and girls from across the country, hearing their stories, learning of their amazing work and sharing in their dreams for a Canada where women and men are equal on all fronts.

And, to my mind, there can be no real change without the active participation of youth, whom I have made my priority as governor general of Canada.

Which is why it was so important to me again today, before I leave for the conference, to have the opportunity to discuss these critical issues with you and to invite women from the political sphere, businesswomen, and women who defend the principle of a more just society to join us today.

You, our youth, have a unique point of view to share and ideas to put forward. What you have to say matters, and I will be bringing your message with me to share it with my fellow women leaders from around the world.

Moreover, I am delighted that the Minister of State (Status of Women) and her entire team, along with the team from Equal Voices, have partnered with us for this dialogue, which I hope will be candid and open. I do not believe that dialogue is possible unless ideas are allowed to circulate freely, and I would like to thank you for making this possible.

But there are not only women in this room.

We are joined by young men who are aware that the fight for the full recognition of the rights of women cannot be waged without them or against them. If we are to succeed, it must be waged with them.

This dialogue fits in with my desire to “break down solitudes,” as the motto I have chosen declares. This means breaking the silence, the barriers, so that we may work together.

For my part, I see the emancipation of women not as a battle of the sexes, but as a search for a better world for us all.

When women demand more justice, it is so that society as a whole benefits from the contribution of every member.

When women fight against poverty, it is so that our children have decent living conditions and enough food to eat.

When women stand up to violence, it is so that our families and communities can be a safe refuge, where individual dignity is respected.

When women combat oppression and risk their lives to denounce it, it is so that every human being, man or woman, can live in freedom.

I have often said that when you empower women, you will see a decrease in illiteracy, poverty, disease and inequality. Because to empower women is to empower the societies to which they belong.

During my travels across Canada and abroad, I have met scores of women who are involved in their communities, working on the front lines, where the needs are greatest.

But do you know what?

The higher you climb through the social echelons, the fewer women you will find.

But when we exclude more than half of humanity from the decision-making tables, we all lose out.

This raises one simple question: what are we missing out on?

I believe that we are missing out on an invaluable contribution.

We are missing out on a relationship with the world that is different. We are missing out on the women’s perspective.

We are missing out on the chance to do things differently.

What is it that women do differently?

Let me give you an example.

I met a group of Afghan women parliamentarians who reject the ethnic divisions at the root of so much suffering and hardship in their country. And they are doing so for the good of all and to build peace.

Just look at how the efforts of our mothers and grandmothers to reduce inequalities and give their daughters choices have changed our country.

Young women today are free to choose to go to school, to choose their profession, to choose who they want to marry and how they want to give back to society.

Look around you: today, women are enriching every sphere of social life with their ideas, talents and knowledge.

This would have been unthinkable not so long ago.

Remember that it was not until the early 20^th century that we obtained the right to vote in Canada. In Quebec, it was not until 1940. And for Aboriginal women, it was not until 1960.

Eighty years ago, we women were not even considered persons.

Women’s rights—which we take for granted far too often these days—are a relatively new development in the history of our country, and are therefore still quite fragile.

Even in the heart of our democracies, there is still much to be done.

It is women who suffer most from violence, from insecurity, from economic crisis, from poverty and a lack of opportunities.

It is women who continue to face physical and psychological attacks.

I know this because I spent years helping battered women and establishing a network to help them and their children. And I know this because I am still deeply committed to this cause, so dear to my heart.

Having worked with these women, I learned that the fate of one woman concerns all women. I would add that it concerns all men, too.

That is why, while on a State visit to Mali, when I was invited to speak to the National Assembly, I used the opportunity to raise the issue of female genital mutilation, to which young girls and women are still subjected every day, many dying as a result.

And it is in that same spirit of solidarity that I am going to this conference in Monrovia, Liberia’s capital city. 

To let the whole world know that Canada is not indifferent to what is happening in the lives of women wherever they are. Canada is not indifferent to gender issues.

Because Canada has done so much for the recognition of women’s rights and continues to defend these rights, particularly within the United Nations.

Because we have values that are important to us as a country and that we want to share with others.

Because we want to learn from the experience of other countries, other cultures, other women, and because there is still much for us to do here, in our own country.

Each and every one of us wants you, our youth, to inherit a world where respect is valued above all else.

And those of you who are here with us today as well. Therein lies our hope.

I’ll stop here, because I can’t wait to hear what you have to say. And so, the floor is yours.