Mr. Speaker, I welcome the opportunity to participate in this debate on the Speech from the Throne. I am sharing my time with the hon. member for Central Nova.
Let me say at the outset that I am proud to be part of a government that intends to bring about real change in our country by focusing on things that matter most to Canadians, like growing the economy, creating jobs, strengthening the middle class, and helping those working hard to join it.
I also feel very privileged to take my seat in this place, having been given the confidence of the people of Thunder Bay—Superior North to serve as their member of Parliament, and the confidence of the Prime Minister to serve as Minister of Status of Women.
In both of these roles, I intend to fulfill my duties by working together with others in a renewed spirit of innovation, openness, and collaboration, just as the Speech from the Throne committed our government to doing. In these two roles, I am very proud to be continuing a tradition established by the Hon. Bob Andras, who in 1971 was Canada's very first minister of status of women. He also hailed from my home region, representing the ridings of Port Arthur and then Thunder Bay—Nipigon from 1965 to 1980.
In some ways, my riding of Thunder Bay—Superior North needs no introduction. It has a distinguished history of representation in Parliament, and I intend to maintain that tradition through dedication and commitment to the people of my constituency.
For my colleagues and those Canadians watching who may not know, the riding of Thunder Bay—Superior North is in the northwestern part of the province of Ontario. It covers a vast area, nearly 90,000 square kilometres. It includes many vibrant communities like Greenstone, Marathon, Shuniah, Manitouwadge, Biigtigong Nishnaabeg, and of course part of Thunder Bay itself.
However, it is the people of this vast riding who inspired me to want to serve as their member of Parliament, and they are the reason I am so proud to be here today.
This opportunity to serve the wonderful people of Thunder Bay—Superior North continues my own professional and personal journey that has focused on community service and social advocacy. What has most often motivated me in my career, and still does today, is the desire to improve the lives of others and to help ensure that everyone has a real and fair chance to succeed.
Over the years, I have worked to enhance my community by addressing adult literacy and access to housing and reducing harm associated with substance use. Most recently I was proud to lead an organization that focused on creating a safe and welcoming place for those most excluded and vulnerable.
My experience tells me that every action we take to ensure that those who struggle the most are supported to succeed has benefits not only for the individual but for our society as a whole.
Supporting those who have been marginalized in our society, and they are far too often women, means not just helping them through a moment of crisis, even though that is the necessary and right thing to do. We must also support them so that their time of crisis does not become a lifetime of crisis, which then can lead to intergenerational challenges that will affect their families for years to come.
By supporting those who are most excluded, we enhance the prosperity of our communities and our country. As I said earlier, I believe that collaboration and respect for our fellow citizens are keys to achieving our shared goals whether they be small or large. It is only through working together that individuals, organizations, communities, and indeed countries, can succeed.
It is this same collaborative approach that our government intends to follow, and that I intend to follow as the Minister of Status of Women, as we identify innovative solutions that support women and girls to reach their full potential and participate fully in all aspects of Canadian life.
One of our first priorities is to address the urgent need to reduce and prevent gender-based violence in our society. It goes without saying that violence against women is not acceptable and should not be tolerated in our society. How we respond to this issue can make a real difference in the lives of women and their families.
Our government intends to take action. We have launched a national public inquiry into missing and murdered indigenous women and girls, and in the coming weeks and months I will be meeting with experts, advocates, and colleagues to discuss innovative ideas that can be part of a comprehensive federal strategy to reduce and prevent gender-based violence, which aligns with provincial and territorial strategies.
Our government is also committed to growing and maintaining Canada's network of shelters and transition homes across the country to meet our commitment to enhancing the safety of women and children.
The Government of Canada is also committed to taking actions that will help our country move closer to the shared goals of equality between women and men in many fields, and it is leading by example.
Under the Prime Minister's leadership, women now hold 50% of cabinet positions, a decision that is receiving much positive international attention. We will continue to equitably include women leaders by ensuring that the federal government's senior appointments are merit-based and demonstrate gender parity. We will ensure a gender lens is applied to the decisions we make so we fully reflect upon how these decisions will affect women.
Finally, I would be remiss if I did not take a moment today to acknowledge how fortunate I feel to be sharing the honour of so many women who have sought election and served in the House of Commons over the decades. In fact, I have made history, along with many of them, as I am the first woman to be elected from the riding of Thunder Bay—Superior North in Ontario.
We need to keep in mind that diversity does not have it easily or automatically. The women in the House today, in all parties, are heirs to the women of courage who came before us and who forged the important place we now hold on Parliament Hill.
Having more women in Parliament and in positions of leadership across our country not only enhances the role women play, but it helps change the conversation about the many important issues in our region and our country. As a result, I think we can safely say that issues important to women are no longer seen as women's issues; they are simply Canadian issues, and rightfully so.
Finding lasting solutions that help Canada thrive and ensure intergenerational success will be possible if we address them, as the Speech from the Throne suggested, with a renewed spirit of innovation, openness, and collaboration.
My commitment as minister is to do just that. I believe that at the end of the day we are stronger working together than individually to achieve the kind of equality between women and men that will ensure a strong economy and a healthy inclusive society.