Madam Speaker, Canada is on the cusp of change.
Increasingly Canadians are aware that our country must evolve to the point where women are recognized and accepted as full and equal partners. Raising awareness is the first step but concrete action must follow for Canada to progress.
As a woman member of Parliament I encourage all of my colleagues to recall the positive changes taking place as the participation of women in this Chamber has increased.
I am awestruck when I think of our foremothers, Nellie McClung, Agnes Macphail, Therese Casgrain, their work and their sacrifices as they struggled to acquire the vote for all Canadians, to have us recognized as persons within the Consti-
tution and the challenges they faced as solitary women of Parliament.
What has been achieved to date must not be forgotten. While women are present at every level of government, I must remind everyone that only 120 of the 3,771 MPs who have been elected since Confederation have been women and 53 of us are here today.
Today is International Women's Day and as members of Parliament from every region let us work together for equality for all Canadians.