utwomeninhouse.files.wordpress.com · Web viewMy day began with coffee with Ms. Young, who told me about her transition from journalism and school board work into politics, her experience

2016 U of T Women in House Reflections

Name: Amy Coté

Program: PhD, English; Massey College

Year: 2

My Twitter info: @amycote_

My host parliamentarian: Kate Young

My Host’s Twitter: @KateYoungMP

As a participant in this year’s Women-in-House programme, I was lucky enough to spend International Women’s Day on Parliament Hill

in Ottawa with dozens of truly inspiring female politicians and public servants. I was paired with Kate Young, a recently elected Liberal from London-West. She generously opened up her office and her day

to me, and I am very grateful to both her and her staff for this fantastic opportunity to catch a glimpse of what it is like to be a woman in federal politics in 2016.

My day began with coffee with Ms. Young, who told me about her transition from journalism and school board work into politics, her experience campaigning as the only woman candidate in her riding, and about her current work as the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Transportation. Highlights of the day included getting to actually enter the house of commons and hear Ms. Young debate on the expansion of Toronto’s Billy Bishop airport. Ms. Young’s wonderful assistants, Nicole and Troy, also gave me informative and exciting behind-the-scenes tours of the hill (including a stop by the PMO and lunch in the parliamentary cafeteria), and involved me in some of their day-to-day work. I was especially lucky to be able to attend both question period and a reception/media release for International Women’s Day, where PM Trudeau announced that a woman would be featured on the next series of bills, and revealed a new commemorative coin and a stamp to mark the 100 th anniversary of female suffrage in (parts of) Canada. This truly felt like an historic event.

I cannot understate the potential of programs like Women-in-House to inspire young women to see their place in public life, be it in politics or elsewhere. I deeply valued both my time with Ms. Young and with her staff, and feel I left at the end of just one day with a much better sense of the work being done in Ottawa. Perhaps more than anything else, my day with Ms. Young and her staff made clear to me that politics and public service is not out of reach. I was inspired by the passion and hard work of everyone I met, and also deeply encouraged because, the more I watched, the more I found myself

With MP Kate Young and her aid, Nicole

University of Toronto

Women in House

7th – 8th

March, 2016

Massey College Stream


thinking, “I could do this, one day”. I recognize I have much to learn, but I think that the real value of programs like Women-in-House lies in showing young women that politics are not another planet, occupied exclusively by super-humans and geniuses. Ultimately, it’s women not so different from me who are changing policy, making laws, and building our country. And I think when women and girls can see themselves in female politicians at every level of government, they’ll start to imagine this work as their work. While I am delighted at the progress we have made towards gender equality on the hill, we still have so much room for growth. The UN says that 30% representation is when we start seeing measurable policy shift for women in politics: currently, the house sits at 26% women. Almost there.

Name: Nabila Pirani

Program: Law/Massey College

Year: 3L

My Twitter info: @Selfistani

My host parliamentarian: Ruby Sahota

My Host’s Twitter: @MPRubySahota

As a participant in the 2016 University of Toronto Women in House Program, I had the privilege of shadowing first-time MP, Ruby Sahota. A former lawyer, Ms. Sahota is currently the Liberal MP for Brampton-North.

My day started bright and early, with an 8am meeting at Ms. Sahota’s office. Over the course of the day, I had the opportunity to attend her meetings with groups such as the Heart and Stroke Foundation, as well as various Standing Committee meetings. Though the former political science student in me was thoroughly fascinated by the discussion at the Standing Committee for Procedure and House Affairs meeting (who doesn’t love party politics and a good filibuster?), the most memorable part of the day was attending a reception at which Prime Minister Trudeau announced that we will finally have a woman – other than the Queen – on our currency.

I applied to the University of Toronto Women in House Program so as to be able to examine the intersection of policy and governance through the political (as opposed to the academic, or legal) context, and to learn from diverse women involved in the governance side of law (by virtue of their position as legislators). Though eight hours is not sufficient to fully understand the complexities of policy and governance or to soak up vast amounts of knowledge from diverse women, the time I spent on the Hill certainly altered my perception of our political process.

First, I had no idea how much time and effort actually goes into the political process. Ms. Sahota told me that she regularly works until late at night during the week, and then flies back to


Brampton on Thursday evenings so as to be with her family (including a young child) for the weekend. On Monday mornings (I think she said 4am) she flies back to Ottawa to fulfil her responsibilities on the Hill. Indeed, in the eight hours I spent with her, I did not see Ms. Sahota take any sort of a break. The little time I had to speak with her came between back-to-back meetings. Though she did not speak to this (I didn’t ask), I cannot even begin to imagine how difficult it must be for a Member of Parliament to balance professional and parental responsibilities.

Second, I had the opportunity to attend two Standing Committee meetings. One composed of a mix of men and women, the other purely of women. What was interesting to see was the way in which the gender balance of the committees contributed to the manner of discussion. In the Standing Committee that had both men and women, the discussion was largely along political lines and combative in the traditional party politics manner. In the Standing Committee that was composed only of women, the committee members were noticeably respectful of each others’ views and positions. Indeed, had the members not been sitting according to political party, I would not have been able to discern their affiliations. To me, this was further proof of the correctness of academic studies claiming that female participation in the political process leads to enhanced consensus-building.

Finally, it struck me that our political process is not as closed off as we often assume it to be. Yes, there is now considerable security on Parliament Hill, and some parts of Centre Block are inaccessible. However, all the Standing Committee meetings I went to are open to the public, as are various House and Senate sittings. Additionally, once you have passed security at the entrance to Centre Block, you are allowed into many spaces that would be closed off in other countries. Though these may seem like small things in the scheme of things, to my mind they aren’t. In fact, for me, the general openness of our democratic system is something to be proud of.


2016 University of Toronto Women in House Reflection

Sabrina Tang BASc (Industrial Engineering) MHSc (Clinical Engineering) Massey CollegeParliamentary Host: MP Celina Caesar-Chavannes

I had the honour and privilege of shadowing MP Celina Caesar-Chavannes for Whitby and Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister. The day started with a warm welcome from her and her team.

That day there were several stakeholder meetings with a focus on mental health, which is a particular passion for both MP Caesar-Chavannes and I. Stakeholders discussed their needs and explained actions the federal government could take particularly with respect to PTSD and veterans. Seeing the differences in the dynamic of discussions between multiple stakeholders emphasized the importance of sharing stories, the variety of actions the federal government could take, and the need for critical thinking around stakeholder arguments and their data. I was inspired by the range of issues she is able to tackle in healthcare, mental health, and housing in addition to the long-term thinking around how to push these issues forward.

Over lunch, she emphasize the importance that any experience is useful for politics because of the diversity of issues that need to be addressed. She was also down-to-earth and shared a personal learning that having an insatiable desire to learn should be confused with not knowing enough. This has inspired me to reframe some of my doubts in myself as I move forward in my career.

Overall, it was a fascinating and busy day with stakeholder meetings, Question Period, International Women’s Day unveiling of the new stamp and loonie with Justin Trudeau and Hazel McCallion, and preparation for a televised panel.

Thank you to the University of Toronto Women in House Program and Massey College for this memorable and inspirational opportunity. I hope to use this experience to inform how to stand up for issues and leverage our political system to push for positive changes in society.


Name: Si Yue Guo

Program: Massey College

Year: Alumna

My Twitter info: @sygg

My host parliamentarian: Kirsty Duncan

My Host’s Twitter: @KirstyDuncanMP

While I merely spent 28 hours in Ottawa, it was ample time to observe the life of a parliamentarian and to deepen my understanding and appreciation of the work they perform.

I had the privilege of being paired with the Honourable Kirsty Duncan, Minister of Science – a welcome choice given my background in science (PhD Chemistry, 2015) and my interests in science policy as it pertains to science literacy, curiosity-driven research, and evidence-based policy making.

Shadowing the Minister of Science, someone who is strongly committed to supporting women in science, on the International Women’s Day, a day that also celebrated Dr. Art McDonald (2015 Nobel Prize for Physics) and his collaborators, meant that the Minister and her shadow would sometimes become delocalised.

Nevertheless, in the short time we spent together I witnessed Minister Duncan working with her team, addressing a room of physicists, and discussing policy with partners from academia and non-profit organizations. She is a great communicator, showing so much empathy and enthusiasm for everyone with whom she interacts, and a worthy champion of scientists’ causes.

There were wonderful moments from other parts of the trip, including the reception featuring several members of parliament and Question Period at the House of Commons. I saw many strong, intelligent, and articulate women on all sides of the political spectrum and at all levels of public service. It was particularly encouraging to hear NDP MP Sheri Benson speak positively about the place of introversion, a trait she and I share, in public service.


There remain, however, issues that appear to contribute to the low percentage of female MPs, a mere 26%. The never-ending schedule of appearances and meetings clearly poses a challenge for one’s health and time with family. As well, it was disheartening to hear heckling during Question Period often by more vocal, male MPs.

At the end of the day, I left Ottawa with renewed interest in public service, if not as a possible future career for myself, then at least in terms of the role scientists can play in shaping public policy and advising the people in government. I was also in awe of the level of civility and order on Parliament Hill, in spite of the fast pace and chaos and reassured that the people who work there understand the responsibility they hold.

Name: Niyosha Keyzad

Program: Massey College

Year: 3

Host Parliamentarian: Yonah Martin

Participating in the Women in House Program was an enriching and unforgettable experience. A fellow participant and myself had the privilege of being mentored by Deputy Opposition Leader, Senator Yonah Martin, who eagerly shared her insight and experiences with us.

The day began with a meeting with Sen. Martin’s staffers, who explained how their careers had led them to their current positions in her office. After going over the Senator’s daily schedule, we observed her first meeting of the day, the scroll. Due to a rescheduled meeting, we then had the opportunity to have an extended conversation with Sen. Martin, which allowed us to pose various questions about her professional trajectory into her political career, and her experiences as a woman in politics. During our meeting, she imparted many words of wisdom to us. The phrase that resonated most with me, particularly on the occasion of International Women’s Day, was what Sen. Martin refers to as her “words to live by”: “If not now, then when? And if not me, then who?” These thoughtful words served as a reminder of the hard work of pioneering women, like Sen. Martin, who trudged the way for today’s generation of young women to enter the male-dominated realm of politics.

We spent the afternoon with one of her staffers, Grace Lee, who gave us a tour of Parliament Hill. We were unable to attend Question Period, as the seats were filled with many guests who attended that day’s QP in honour of Nobel Laureate, Dr. Art McDonald. However, we were able to attend part of the Senate sitting, after which we watched the remainder of the QP from the office of the Deputy Speaker of the House, Bruce Stanton—whom we met briefly before the vote. We then found our way to a press conference, where the Prime Minister unveiled a new


stamp and coin to celebrate the centennial of women’s suffrage. I had the rare chance to meet both the PM and the First Lady, which made my experience all the more memorable.

We ended the day with Sen. Martin’s exclusive tour of the Senate Chamber, which is typically reserved for Senate leadership. She even invited us to sit in her senate seat, which was a symbolic gesture of encouragement for us to follow in her footsteps.

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utwomeninhouse.files.wordpress.com · Web viewMy day began with coffee with Ms. Young, who told me about her transition from journalism and school board work into politics, her experience