Mr. Speaker, this fall I celebrated my 12th year as a Conservative MP. I am thankful for the numerous individuals, men and women alike, who encouraged me to run, and the tremendous support I received from the Conservative Party once I made my decision.
When it comes to women in leadership, I am proud of our history, as ours truly is the party of firsts in the country: the first female cabinet minister and the first to serve as acting prime minister, Ellen Fairclough; the first woman to lead the official opposition, Deb Grey; Canada's first female foreign minister, Flora MacDonald; and, finally, Canada's first female prime minister, the Right Hon. Kim Campbell. They were all Conservatives.
As a mom to four beautiful, strong women and grandmother to seven granddaughters, I am grateful for these role models. I am proud to work alongside incredible women in our caucus today and I invite Canadian women all across the country to take another look at our Conservative Party.