SENATORS’ STATEMENTS — Professional Women's Hockey League

Honourable senators, yesterday, Senator Pate introduced you all to the Ottawa Professional Women’s Hockey League team. I think Senator Pate and I attended the same game on March 23 of this year.

It is also where I had the pleasure of taking my granddaughter, Everly, to her first Professional Women’s Hockey League game.

Everly currently plays on two hockey teams — one coed and the other all-girls. Each time she plays, she gets better.

I know many of you are parents and grandparents, and know the pride and joy you feel in sharing in a small part of your children’s lives and your grandchildren’s lives. I feel that too every time I am with Evie, and especially on March 23.

Before the game, Evie had the opportunity to meet with Brianne Jenner, the captain of the Ottawa hockey team. Evie was almost speechless — meeting her hockey hero.

Brianne Jenner is an extraordinary young woman who is a remarkable ambassador for women in sport. In all humility, Captain Jenner reminded me of those women who had trailblazed before her and her teammates. I witnessed how proud she was to see and speak of women of all ages wearing their jerseys and cheering women’s hockey teams on in Boston, Minnesota, New York, Montreal, Toronto and Ottawa.

Seeing my granddaughter — and all the other young girls her age — cheer on Ottawa also reminded me of when I was a child, skating on the river and playing pickup hockey with all the neighbourhood children. There were no girls’ leagues in my day.

When I watch my granddaughter skate in the rink in Vernon, British Columbia, and cheer on Captain Jenner and the Ottawa hockey team, I think about how far women’s hockey has come.

It is disputed as to whether the first women’s game was in 1889, or in 1890, or in 1891, but there is no dispute about the hurdles women face. This includes Canadian Olympian and flag‑bearer Abby Hoffman who, as a young girl, cut her hair and joined the local boys’ league. She excelled in hockey until she was found out and forced to stop playing. Abby Hoffman is still breaking barriers today fighting for gender equality in amateur sport.

It was women like Abby Hoffman, and others, who would break barriers for generations of women and girls. Young women who followed would join leagues of their own.

Now Canada’s National Women’s Hockey team dominates international competitions.

Before I end, I must inform the chamber that Ottawa came from a two-goal deficit to win over Toronto, thanks to goals from Brianne Jenner, Hayley Scamurra and a hat trick by Daryl Watts. Hiy hiy.