CELEBRATING INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY

WE MUST FOSTER A FUTURE WHERE EVERY WOMAN COUNTS, WRITES ANITA ANAND

On March 8, we celebrated International Women's Day (IWD). This occasion is a time to reflect and celebrate the groundbreaking achievements of women here in Oakville, and around the world.

To mark IWD, I met with some of Oakville's women leaders at Sheridan College for a meaningful conversation about discrimination, systemic barriers and the journey ahead. I thank them all for sharing their inspiring stories, and for their dedication to our community.

On March 14, my sister, Dr. Sonia Anand, and I held a fireside chat at McMaster University and spoke about how we can bring more women into leadership positions across Canadian society.

At the grassroots level, I am thrilled that organizations like MOM2MOM BIZ here in Halton

continue to offer valuable assistance to women entrepreneurs. I am also grateful for the essential work of Halton Women's Place and SAVIS to support vulnerable women in our community.

To better support women across Canada, we're also taking real action to deliver affordable child care. We've already seen tangible results, with fees having decreased by 50 per cent in Ontario and on track to reach $10 a day by 2025. Thanks in part to this progress, 2022 saw a record-high 85 per cent employment rate for women.

As minister of national defence, my top priority is ensuring that all our military personnel — especially women — are respected and protected when they put on their uniforms. Every day, the women of our military serve Canadians with distinction and break down boundaries.

On IWD, I had the pleasure of joining CAF women leaders to celebrate the many women in our military leading our culture change efforts.

My thoughts are also with the brave Ukrainian woman who have been crucial to their country's war effort. As Ursula Von Der Leyen said during her recent address to our Parliament, "Ukrainian women did not wait for doors to be open for them to serve in all capacities. They broke the doors down. These women also smashed a glass ceiling right over the head of the Russian invaders."

We must continue to build on the progress we have made and foster a future where every woman counts.