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2016 U of T Women in House Reflections

Name: Erinne Paisley

Program: Trinity One International Relations

Year: First

My Twitter info: @erinnep

My host parliamentarian: MP Malcolmson

My Host’s Twitter: @s_malcolmson

My name is Erinne Paisley and this year I had the privilege of participating in the University of Toronto Women in House Program. I shadowed, together with Jessie Xie, NDP Member of Parliament and Critic for the Status of Women, Sheila Malcolmson.

Our trip to Ottawa started off on March 7th with a visit to the Supreme Court, where each of us imagined what had occurred in the halls before and what would come in the future. We met with a number of MPs and political figures at an evening reception and, in true Ottawa fashion, the Minister of National Defence of Canada, The Honourable Harjit Sajjan, appeared by coincidence from a birthday celebration in the room next door! Everyone was extremely excited; many questions were asked and even more selfies were taken.

The next morning, three alarms rang out at 6AM but everyone was already filled with adrenaline and excitement for what was to come. The day started at the NDP Breakfast for International Women’s Day, hosted by Sheila Malcolmson herself. Attendance included inspirational figures such as Cindy Blackstock and Thomas Mulcair. All of our MP’s not only welcomed us as students, but as friends and companions for the day.

Next, we sat in on a lobbying meeting in MP Malcolmson’s office, spoke with her and her assistant Renee Taylor about the role of women in politics, and headed over to Parliament Hill. On “the Hill”, as I soon learned it was called, we attended a luncheon for the Heart and Stroke Foundation and took a tour.

We then quickly peeked our heads into the backstage area for the Official Opposition before Question Period. Here, we saw Elizabeth May, leader of the Green Party of Canada, between phone interviews. I have previously worked with MP May, but was not sure if she would remember. A warm embrace and welcome answered this question.

During Question Period, we listened while MP’s spoke about topics ranging from abortion rights in PEI to Justin Trudeau’s recent cuddles with the Toronto Zoo’s pandas. The members then voted on a


number of issue areas, and we rushed downstairs to meet back up with MP Malcolmson and her assistant.

After Question Period, we entered a room where the Prime Minister announced the new Canadian currency - which will feature women. Next, everything is a bit of blur in my memory, but somehow I found myself beside the Prime Minister, shaking his hand, taking a picture, and nearly passing out with shock. As quickly as we had arrived in the press room, we left to go downstairs for a meeting on the Status of Women. The meeting was extremely interesting, and as soon as it was over we again rushed to the final event of the evening which we were able to attend.

Backstage again, we met a number of other speakers from the evening including the Canadian Minister for the Status of Women, The Honourable Patty A. Hajdu. For us, this is where the evening ended as we barely made it back to the bus on time. But MP Malcolmson still had a number of events to attend and speak at during the evening.

There is no way I could have dreamed of a better way to spend International Women’s Day. This experience gave me a real look at how Parliament Hill functions on a day-to-day basis from an extremely real and welcoming viewpoint and showed me what it truly is like to be a woman in this context. I know this is an experience which will effect me for the rest of my life.

There is a long way to still go for women’s rights in Canada, and internationally. This experience allowed me to reflect on the great strides we have made towards a more equal future and have meaningful discussions on how to most efficiently and effectively address the journey ahead. I gained more during this experience than I ever could have during a classroom lesson, met amazing peers on the bus and throughout our journey, and, most of all, I learned that coffee is beyond mandatory during eighteen hour days.


Name: Angela Hou

Program: Trinity One - International Relations Stream

Year: First Year

Parliamentary Host: MP Jenny Kwan

I am honored to participate in the Women in House program this year, along with a diverse group of more than 50 female colleagues from the University of Toronto. Along with my peer Janet Huang, I was arranged to shadow MP Jenny Kwan for a day. She is an NDP member representing Vancouver East, as well as the party’s official critic for issues relating to Immigration, Refugee, and Citizenship. As a first year student in International Relations, I was absolutely thrilled to join MP Kwan, even before I arrived in Ottawa. Although the time I spent in her presence was short, I learned innumerable lessons about partisan and representative politics, further enhancing my interest in working in the government.

To begin the day, our cohort had the privilege of attending the NDP party’s annual breakfast on International Women’s Day, March 8th. We heard from inspirational speakers, including Cindy Blackstock, who spoke about aboriginal children’s rights and empowering minority voices in government. We also had the honor of meeting the leader of the NDP party, Mr. Mulcair, and the NDP party’s critic on women issues Sheila Malcolmson, one of the participating MPs of the WIH program this year.

Following the breakfast, Janet and I returned to the Confederate building with MP Kwan for her scheduled meetings with lobbying organizations. She met with the Canadian Psychology Association, Canadian Police Association, and refugee witnesses from Haiti and Zimbabwe. Within her tight schedule, MP Kwan brought us to the Citizenship and Committee meeting to meet with MPs from all political parties and backgrounds. We heard from three refugees displaced by the Haiti earthquake, who discussed the immigration process to Canada. I was thoroughly astonished and impressed by MP Kwan’s nuanced understanding of the Canadian system, as well as her attention to detail when she presented before the committee. In the afternoon, Janet and I did not make it into question period due to the large number of attendees on the day. However, we were able to tour the entire parliament building and attend lunch at the parliamentary restaurant at the generosity of MP Kwan.

I returned to Toronto with MP Kwan’s compassion and critical thinking skills lingering in my impressions. During our lobby group meetings, her questions would always have high relevance to her riding, minority rights, and children’s well-being. Overall, my trip to Ottawa has been full of adventure. From meeting political leaders to hearing from empowering female predecessors, the opportunity to participate in the women in house program has allowed me to gain an inside look on the work of parliamentarians at the hill. The awareness of gender equity in government, and everywhere, is a crucial issue that calls for the efforts of everybody. Furthermore, I came away with the new understanding that politics does not always have to be


the cut-throat or finger-pointing, as it is often portrayed in the media or during question period. I was most inspired by seeing MPs learning from each other and collaborating, despite partisan and background differences. I sincerely thank MP Kwan for her time and contribution to our learning, and I look forward to seeing what great things she will do for the country in the near future. This invaluable experience has allowed me to hope that one day, I can aspire to become an fantastic female politician, just like her.


Name: Alejandra Bellatin

Program: TrinOne: International Relations

Year: 1st

My Twitter info: @___________________

My host parliamentarian: MP Carol Hughes

My Host’s Twitter: @CarolHughesMP

As an aspiring politician or member of an International Organization, Women in House was an incredible mentorship opportunity. On Tuesday March 8th, I had the honour of shadowing NDP MP Carol Hughes from Algoma - Manitoulin – Kapuskasing.

Our day began with an NDP breakfast in honour of International Women’s Day. It was a unique opportunity to talk to many NDP MPs and meet Tom Mulcair, leader of the NDP. During the breakfast, Sydney Blackstock, executive director of the First Nations Child and Family Caring Society, gave a very powerful speech. Being a women from an aboriginal community, Ms Blackstock said she encountered many closed doors on her way. However, she told all of us that when a door is closed, sometimes we need to work together to pull it harder. Searching for equality in our country is not an act of help or charity, it is just exercising our humanity.

I spent the rest of the day shadowing MP Hughes. This was the third term that MP Hughes served. We talked about our common interests, how she got into politics, and barriers for female MPs. She told that, during her first term, some male MPs tried to exclude her and other female MPs in Question Period. This anecdote made me think of the importance of programmes such as Women in House, that aim achieve gender parity and an active role of women in politics. However, it is also necessary to change men’s perspective so that they can include women instead of exclude them.

In addition, I saw MP Hughes talk to lobbyists, where I was amazed by her passion and intellect. MP Hughes asked key questions and always evaluated how the concerns of the lobbyists affected the people in her riding. Afterwards, I got to see Question Period. Although I appreciated to see debate in topics of gender, I was surprised by the juvenile actions of some MPs.

My day ended shadowing MP Hughes in a meeting to plan an event about breaking health research across Canada. It was fascinating to see MP Hughes in action, negotiating and advocating for bilingualism.

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“Women in House” was an incredible opportunity as it gave me a concrete idea of a politician’s life. For example, an MP must always take his/her riding into consideration. I was very proud to see women in the NDP breakfast helping other women in politics. MP Ashton told me that MP Hughes had helped her start her career in politics. This inspired me and made me reflect on how us, girls, need to help each other in politics and all public spheres. Many thanks to MP Hughes for her time and advice, and to Tina Park for organizing this learning opportunity. I will carry the lessons I learnt this week throughout my university career and the rest of my life. It has left me truly inspired about the world of politics and, hopefully, one day I will be a women in house.

Name: Maya Hoke


Program: Trin One: Public Polcy

Year: Firstt

My Twitter info: @mayahoke

My host parliamentarian: Niki Ashton, NDP

My Host’s Twitter: @nikiashton

I first heard about Women in House, through a friend who had done the program the year before. She could not say enough good things about the program, and encouraged me to apply. I am so thankful that she did because it was an eye-opening and meaningful experience.

Before going to Ottawa, I had preconceived notions of what it meant to work as an MP and be a woman working on Parliament Hill, but Women in House changed that. I had the privilege of shadowing MP Niki Ashton and MP Carol Hughes. With MP Hughes, I was able to discuss what it was like being a woman in politics and the challenges female politicians still face today. I saw the lack of respect that women can still deal with, and the failures of many to still see them as equal during question period. The speaker decided to chastise the members whose heckling had gotten particularly loud, but unnecessarily he blamed only the male MPs. By only reprimanding the men, it rejected the idea that women are fully participating in the political process, even the “less polite” parts. It was particularly ironic because it was International Women’s Day, but the number of women who asked questions during that same question period made me proud. The fact that the NDP, Conservatives and Liberals had taken the opportunity to highlight their female members and prioritize their voices by having them ask questions made IWD more meaningful.

After question period, I spent the rest of the afternoon with MP Ashton. I was privileged to attend a special meeting with staff from the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (CCPA) regarding their 2016 Alternative Federal Budget (AFB). Here, MP Ashton’s passion for the issues she cared about was very visible. She asked questions about how the AFB would affect employment and if data was available regarding the possible impact on Aboriginal women. Even in the early morning at the NDP International Women’s Day Breakfast, MP Ashton was discussing with other leaders the next steps in regards to the recent win on Aboriginal education rights. I loved seeing how her passion for politics and the people was in everything she does, including our casual conversion. It inspires me to hold myself to a similar standard, to be passionate about everything I do, and to continually work to improve the lives of those around me.

This trip showed me the important work that MPs do everyday to ensure that the needs of their constituents are met and that they are improving the lives of all Canadians. Government work can begin to appear monolithic and impersonal, but my time with MP Ashton


and MP Hughes reminded me that there are always strong people, especially women, fighting to better Canada.

This incredible trip would not have been possible without Tina Park, Elliot Gunn, and the support of the Trinity One Program, especially Provost Moran and Director Kessler. Thank you all so much for providing me with this amazing and unique opportunity.

Name: Jessie Xie


Program: Trinity One Ethics

Year: First

Parliamentary Host: MP Sheila Malcolmson

Thanks for Women in House program, I was given the incredible opportunity to experience first-hand Canadian politics and to learn more about legislative proceedings by shadowing a female Member of Parliament for one day on the Parliament Hill. Besides shadowing MP Malcolmson, I was also very lucky to have the chance to meet and connect with many great politicians and activists who are working hard to promote gender equality and to make Canada a better country through both two days in Ottawa. It was one of the best experiences of my life, which I believe would continue to motivate me to achieve my dream.

As a critic for Status of Women herself, MP Malcolmson was very kind to invite both Erinne and I to the NDP breakfast she hosted on the International Women’s Day to honour the achievements of aboriginal women in our country and to promote the movements of encouraging the Liberal government to put women on Canada’s bank notes. It was incredibly meaningful to listen to the personal stories shared by those women with aboriginal heritages, which keep reminding ourselves that there is still a long way to go for our government to make things right. I also had the privilege to meet the leader of the NDP Tom Mulcair through this event. Although I didn’t have enough time to talk to him about the issues that we are both concerned with, meeting him in person was already beyond my expectation since I admire him very much.

Then I went to a private meeting of MP Malcolmson with a lobbyist group following the NDP breakfast. One thing that really struck me during the meeting was the good faith of those female lobbyists from across the country. Many of them have worked for various non-profit organizations in the past, and they are still fighting for the good cause that they believe is worth fighting for by traveling to different places to get their voices heard. It was shocking for me to learn about the unequal distribution of national financing on different sectors in our country, in which the national spending on militaries is ridiculously higher than on other social infrastructures such as environmental protection and safety shelters for women. I gained many inspirations from those courageous female lobbyists, and being able to sit on the same table with them to participate in this process gave me confidence in believing that I can enforce change in this society with joint efforts from other people as well.


Another part that I really enjoyed during the trip was watching debates during the Question Period. The transparency of the legislative process in Canada as a liberal democracy is unbelievable to me compared with my previous experience of living in an authoritarian country. It felt great to see many female MPs asking fantastic questions and delivering powerful messages in the Question Period, despite their differences in partisan perspectives on domestic and international issues.

It was such a rewarding experience for me to participate in Women in House program. I am very grateful of being selected among other candidates. I learned so much about female empowerment and leadership from those two days in Ottawa, and it was great to see the increase in the number of female MPs in the decision-making process on the Parliament Hill as a progress in female representation in Canada.

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