SENATORS’ STATEMENTS — International Women’s Day

Honourable senators, I rise today on the unceded, unsurrendered territory of the Anishinaabe Algonquin Nation to mark International Women’s Day 2026.

This year’s theme is “Rights. Justice. Action. For ALL Women and Girls.” Amidst a global backlash against gender equality, it is imperative that we speak up and act decisively.

Gender equality is a human right. Research demonstrates that it is also closely linked to prosperity, democracy and stability. Studies have shown that countries with higher levels of gender equality are generally more prosperous, democratic and peaceful. At the same time, we have seen that hard-fought advances in gender equality won over the past decades can be quickly wiped out without much notice. We’ve seen this with Roe v. Wade and subsequent backlash measures south of the border and similar cutbacks in several provincial jurisdictions right here at home.

We know that during economic downturns, crises or conflicts of various kinds, governments tend to steer away from commitments to gender equality priorities and investments. The lesson learned by many of us in the trenches who have fought for these gains is that they are fragile at best and that the struggle for intersectional gender equality is in no way over.

Advancing gender equality isn’t just about closing gaps between men and women. People experience different barriers depending on many elements of their identities, including their sexuality, race, gender identity, ability and age. We need to always be thinking of intersectionality and applying that critical Gender-based Analysis Plus lens to initiatives that we take on.

Being an intersectional feminist ally means using our voice and privilege to advocate for inclusion and diversity, as well as supporting women, girls and gender-diverse folks who face barriers and discrimination that we may never face ourselves.

In the spirit of the International Women’s Day theme, we can take some key actions.

We can declare gender-based violence and femicide global pandemics and take corresponding action to eradicate them; advocate for sustainable, reliable funding for crisis lines, shelters, safe and affordable housing, public education, prevention programs, trauma-informed training, safety protocols in workspaces, public institutions and the like; resolve to finally close the gender pay gap and provide livable incomes so that no one has to stay in an abusive relationship because of poverty; challenge power imbalance and abuse, domination and aggression; protect women, girls and gender-expansive individuals from AI-facilitated violence and harassment by promoting global standards and adopting legislation that promotes human rights.

Colleagues, we all know that when we support a woman and invest in her future, we are also investing in a family, a community and, ultimately, in Canada. Please join me in celebrating International Women’s Day 2026. Thank you.