Back to SearchKitchener, ON – On behalf of the City of Kitchener, our five women Councillors have issued the following statement to recognize International Women’s Day:
“On March 8, International Women’s Day, we celebrate the achievements of women and girls in Kitchener and across the world. We acknowledge the long road ahead toward a fully equitable society and we call on the community to join us in taking small but important steps forward.
In our community, we are lucky to have many remarkable women leaders who show courage and passion in their respective fields. At the City of Kitchener, we are honoured to serve alongside so many strong women leaders – both staff and Council – and we are proud to be part of the first Kitchener City Council with gender parity. We hope that our collective representation will pave the way for the daughters and granddaughters who will come after us.
Kitchener Council was proud to unanimously support the maternity leave bill inspired by Councillor Kelly Galloway-Sealock's advocacy last term, and this Council is strongly committed to equity that goes beyond gender equality. We recognize we still have a long way to go and we are committed to doing this hard work.
Last year, as part of our commitment to advancing a culture of equity, diversity and inclusion, the City of Kitchener launched a task force focused on bringing about equity-informed organizational change. We want to embrace an intersectional approach to fighting for gender equity: when we stand up for women’s rights, we acknowledge the layers of discrimination experienced by women who are Black, Indigenous, Muslim, racialized, queer, living in poverty, and/or who have a disability.
In keeping with this year’s International Women’s Day theme, #ChoosetoChallenge, we pledge to use our voices to lift women and girls up. We challenge ourselves and all citizens of Kitchener to speak up and call out gender bias. Don’t just listen, act. Stand up and speak out. Everyone benefits when women are fully able to realize their dreams and aspirations because women’s rights are human rights.”
Councillor Christine Michaud (ward 4)
Councillor Kelly Galloway-Sealock (ward 5)
Councillor Margaret Johnston (ward 8)
Councillor Debbie Chapman (ward 9)
Councillor Sarah Marsh (ward 10)
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For more information:
Bethany Rowland
Director, Corporate Communications
Bethany.rowland@kitchener.ca
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