May 28th, 2015

Queen’s Park – Eight Grade 8 girls from Lester B. Pearson Public School travelled to Queen’s Park today to lobby political leaders to take action on homelessness.

 

The students are a part of MPP Catherine Fife’s Girls’ Government program, a non-partisan Equal Voice educational program that encourages girls to become politically engaged and teaches them to advocate for issues that matter to them. Since January, students have been meeting, learning about causes of homelessness, and advocating for change with support from their MPP, teachers, and local shelter and housing service providers. Also part of the program are Grade 8 students from St. Luke Catholic Elementary School.

 

“Girls’ Government provides an excellent opportunity, right before high school, for girls to see themselves as community leaders,” said Fife. “This is a non-partisan program being run across the province by seven MPPs from every caucus. Its aim is to inspire girls to see themselves as change-makers and to know that one day, they can sit on school boards, City Council, in the Ontario Legislature, or the House of Commons.”

 

Students met with the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing, Ted McMeekin, with Ontario NDP Leader Andrea Horwath, and with Progressive Conservative MPP and Women’s Issues Critic Laurie Scott. They held a press conference in the Legislative Media Gallery calling on the government to build permanent, affordable housing.

 

“Just because we’re girls you may not think we can make change, but we can. Girls’ Government is a great experience that has made us more comfortable with working in politics,” students said. “People tell us we’re the change that can make a difference in the word: this is that change.”

 

Currently, 24% of Canadian MPs and 35.5% of Ontario MPPs are women. Three of Waterloo’s seven City Councillors are women.