Women belong in leadership roles, and everyone benefits when women become leaders.
That was one cornerstone of Churchill MP Niki Ashton’s message at an International Women's Day luncheon held last weekend in Flin Flon.
As former NDP critic for the status of women, and current critic for Aboriginal affairs, Ashton has long been an advocate for women’s rights and opportunities, and has been a strong voice calling for a reduction of violence against women.
Ashton was introduced by this year’s masters of ceremonies, Mya Winton, 10, Olivia Mathews, 11, and Talissa Alexander, 9. The trio are members of Kin Kids, a branch of the Flin Flon Kinette Club.
“It was inspiring and moving,” said Ashton of the girls, who took to the podium with no hesitation. “It was inspiring because women’s leadership, girls’ leadership, is what we saw from them today. They stood up, they got their message out there and they really shared their enthusiasm. They invited us to listen,” said Ashton. “I found that inspiring and moving.”
Ashton gave credit to all those in attendance at Saturday's luncheon for giving the young ladies the opportunity to take the lead.
“Thank you for creating space for these young girls to show us what they are made of, to support them in going forward in whatever they choose to do,” said Ashton.
As a politician in what is still a male-dominated industry, Ashton is all too familiar with finding the opportunity to show what she is made of. She spoke about her own struggles and the challenges she has overcome.
“I’ve gained strength from women who are here, whether it’s through city council, the activism of postal workers and saving the home-to-home delivery, or through the Walking With Our Sisters exhibit,” she said, referring a travelling exhibit honouring the lives of missing and murdered indigenous women in Canada that visited Flin Flon last summer.
“For me, those are all examples of women’s leadership in Flin Flon and that’s the kind of leadership that inspires me and the work I do.”
International Women’s Day on March 8 is a day of celebration, but Ashton says it goes beyond just the gains made across the world, the country and in our communities.
“International Women’s Day is about celebration, but it’s not about saying everything is perfect or everything is good,” she said.
“The reality is, despite the gains, there are a number of setbacks over the last number of years.
“I’d like for us to reach equality,” Ashton said, looking to the future of not only politics, but also civilization in general.
The MP praised the number of programs and resources available for women in this community, including the Women’s Resource Centre, which organized the luncheon.
“There is incredible leadership here in Flin Flon,” said Ashton. “Women’s leadership inspires us, gives us strength. There are immense challenges that still exist strong across our country that we need to tackle, but every day there are ways in standing up and supporting the women in our community. We’re going to go for it.”
Women have seen gains since the first International Women’s Day in 1908 in areas such as voting, but violence against women continues to be an issue worldwide.
Ashton recently put forward motion M 444 as an action plan to end violence against women.
“It’s calling on the federal government to show leadership, to show support in ending violence against women,” she said. “We know there is violence because they are women and it’s something that is just unacceptable.”
Ashton also spoke about income equality for women.
“We know women earn less than men. We know women continue to be discriminated against in various ways. We [need] to achieve equality. [A] big part of achieving equality is ending violence against women, and that’s something that is realistic,” she said. “We know that can be achieved, but it requires work and it’s the kind of work that resource centres do on a daily basis.”
Ashton’s own work with Thompson Crisis Centre is similar to the work done by the Flin Flon’s Women’s Resource Centre.
“I know the hard work that women do to make sure that all women have a place to feel safe in our communities,” Ashton said.
International Women’s Day first began in 1908 when 15,000 women marched through the streets of New York City demanding better pay, shorter work hours and voting rights.
