Evidence of meeting #138 for Status of Women in the 44th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was students.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Leah Gazan NDP Winnipeg Centre, MB
You see your existence up for debate all the time in political spaces.
NDP
Leah Gazan NDP Winnipeg Centre, MB
How can I be a better ally? How can we be better allies to you to make sure that you survive?
As an Individual
Personally, I think that if you are an ally, you should speak up with us. Being a better ally wouldn't be watching us speak; it would be speaking with us.
It would help us in not having to think so much about our future and about how the government is working right now. Having allies would make us feel less like everything's directed on us.
NDP
NDP
Leah Gazan NDP Winnipeg Centre, MB
—but I did hear you begging to go to school tomorrow for your science project.
NDP
Leah Gazan NDP Winnipeg Centre, MB
When you say “speak up with us”, what does that look like to you?
As an Individual
Speak up with us—as in, sitting here like I am right now, you'd be speaking as well about similar stuff, about trans rights and the rights of just being human. Speak up in such a way that we can also take a break, but take our words as well to make it more vibrant, if that's a good word.
NDP
Leah Gazan NDP Winnipeg Centre, MB
Yes.
I used to be a teacher. I don't know how I ended up being a teacher, because I used to hate school. I'm just telling you the truth here. One thing that was really important to me when I was a teacher was that I provided a safe space for my students.
Does school feel safe for you right now? I was happy to hear you begging to go to school, but what does school feel like?
NDP
As an Individual
It's just hard.
I love my class. They're very inclusive and they're wonderful, and yet people from other classes are cruel. Speaking from experience, I have a friend who was threatened to be followed home for expressing themselves, which is really hard to think about.
As an openly trans person with my parents, it's harder to see my friends who aren't able to talk to their parents go through that by themselves.
NDP
Leah Gazan NDP Winnipeg Centre, MB
Yes. I really appreciate that.
Anybody around the table knows that I ask a million questions. Back when dinosaurs were still here, there was a show called Matlock. He was a lawyer, and he'd ask all these questions—
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Shelby Kramp-Neuman
Thank you, Zipp.
Michelle, you have the floor for five minutes.