Olivia Chow, MP Trinity – Spadina, will be the keynote speaker for this year’s International Women’s Day celebration at York, the theme of which is inspiring change.
She will be joined by aboriginal elder Laureen Waters, featured speaker, with remarks by Rhonda Lenton, vice-president academic & provost, and Professor Enakshi Dua of the School of Gender, Sexuality & Women’s Studies and director of the Centre for Feminist Research.
Olivia Chow
The celebration will take place Thursday, March 6, from 12:30 to 2:30pm in the Senate Chambers, 940N Ross Building, Keele campus. Refreshments will be served. Everyone is welcome to attend. Copies of Chow’s new book My Journey will be available.
"Olivia Chow certainly embodies the theme of inspiring change as evident throughout her working life and her political career,” says James Simeon, director, School of Public Policy & Administration in the Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies. “She is the ideal special guest speaker for this year's International Women's Day ceremonies at York."
Chow’s political career has spanned three decades, from the board of education and Toronto City Hall (where she was re-elected five times) to Parliament and the national stage. She was first elected an MP in 2006. She is currently the opposition party critic for Transport and Infrastructure.
She has been voted "Woman of the Year" by Consumers Choice of Canada, the best city councillor seven times and best MP by the readers of NOW magazine, as well as best local politician four times by readers of Eye magazine.
International Women's Day is recognized worldwide on March 8, a time when Canadians celebrate progress toward equality for women and their full participation, reflect on the challenges and barriers that remain, and consider future steps to achieving equality for all women, in all aspects of their lives.
The event is co-sponsored by Osgoode Hall Law School, the Centre for Refugee Studies, the Institute for Feminist Legal Studies at Osgoode, the School of Public Policy & Administration, McLaughlin College, the Centre for Human Rights, the Department of Political Science, York Centre for Public Policy & Law and the York Centre for Feminist Research.
To RSVP, contact Lorraine Myrie at 416-736-2100 ext. 33825 or lmyrie@yorku.ca.