Statement made on 10 March 2010 by Senator Lucie Pépin (retired)
Hon. Lucie Pépin:
Honourable senators, people around the world have been celebrating International Women's Day for 100 years now. As several of my colleagues mentioned, March 8 is a day to honour women, to remind us all of women's rights, and to celebrate women's achievements. On Monday, people celebrated in different ways.
In Canada, women once again donned their shoes and marched together, urging us all to ``change women's lives to change the world and change the world to change the lives of women.'' Make no mistake, women are as determined as ever to change the status quo, which they believe is unfair and at the root of violence and poverty.
Honourable senators, I urge you to heed their demands, which reflect their priorities. Their grievances focus on women's work, the common good, access to resources, violence against women and the rights of Aboriginal women.
As they marched last Monday, Canadian women also wanted to express solidarity with women around the world who are still waiting for progress. Yes, Canadian women have made progress, but we must not let it go to our heads.
In some areas, such as access to high-level decision-making positions, we are not moving forward. Many women's day-to-day lives are not as good as they should be. That is the case for our Aboriginal sisters.
We need more women like Henrietta Muir Edwards, Emily Murphy, and Thérèse Casgrain to help us make progress on several fronts. During National Women's Week, it is only right to remember and honour these pioneers.
We should also pay tribute to the many women who serve their country every day but do not necessarily make headlines: military wives. We do not often hear from them, but they are there, standing proud. I witnessed their pride firsthand last Saturday when Senator Frum and I spent some time with women on the Cold Lake military base in Alberta. I met women who have accepted and learned to live with the sacrifices and constraints associated with belonging to the greater military family.
By taking care of their homes and their children, they contribute to the smooth operation of the Canadian Forces. As senator, I renewed my commitment to work with Cold Lake military wives. I am sure that all senators will do everything in their power to provide military families with the support they deserve in recognition of the sacrifices they make.