Honourable senators, I originally hoped to deliver this statement on International Women’s Day, but celebrating women is something we should all endeavour to do each and every day, not once a year.

When speaking about gender and equality, it is critical that we look at it through an intersectional lens of race and culture. It is not just through my gender that I experience the world but through the eyes of my ancestors, through culture and race. They cannot be separated. I experience the world as a Michif/Métis woman, and it is with that lens that I approach my work as a senator. To me, a critical part of my role as a senator is celebrating and highlighting other women who are leading the way in their work and/or community, and I would like to do that now.

I would like to acknowledge and celebrate an Indigenous woman who has dedicated her life to advocating for a more just society. Dr. Karen Lawford is a member of the Namegosibiing Trout Lake, Lac Seul First Nation. She is the first registered midwife and Indigenous midwife in Canada to hold a doctoral degree and a university appointment. She is also a founding member of the National Aboriginal Council of Midwives.

Dr. Lawford chose to become a midwife to provide excellent maternity care to First Nation families who live on reserves and often do not have access to these vital services. As an academic and midwife, she teaches and advocates for maternity care that allows community members to give birth in their own communities and on the land, and has explored the resiliency and resistance of women evacuated from their communities for birth.

Representing the highest honour our community bestows upon its own achievers, Dr. Lawford received the Indspire Laureate Award (Health) in conjunction with the United Nations International Decade of the World’s Indigenous Peoples, in 2020. Dr. Lawford embodies this award with her advocacy work as she champions human rights, combating racism and strives to improve the recognition of and respect for Indigenous rights within Canadian society.

There are so many incredible Indigenous women like Dr. Lawford who are leaders in their communities. In celebrating Dr. Lawford, I also want to honour and thank all Indigenous women for being the change makers, never losing hope and remaining determined to be the voice of strength and power. Meegwetch, thank you.