Conversations with Leaders, Champions, and Luminaries
PAULINA CAMERON
Contents
Introduction
Curators’ Notes
Monica Adair
Shelley Ambrose
Christina Anthony
Louise Arbour
Jean Augustine
Janet Austin
Ulrike Bahr-Gedalia
Nini Baird
Kim Baird
Yaprak Baltacıoğlu
Janet Bannister
Meg Beckel
Jeanne Beker
Cindy Blackstock
Rose Boyko
Barbara Brink
Judy Brooks
Manon Brouillette
Beverley Busson
Brenda Butterworth-Carr
Kim Campbell
Cassie Campbell Pascall
Elizabeth Cannon
Maryse Carmichael
Tania Carnegie
Debby Carreau
Ann Cavoukian
Lisa Charleyboy
Piya Chattopadhyay
Jan Christilaw
Wendy Arlene Clay
Kristin Cochrane
Caroline Codsi
Imogen Coe
Ruth Collins-Nakai
Shushma Datt
Jean Hough Davey
Natalie Zemon Davis
Lisa de Wilde
Sara Diamond
Laurel Douglas
Pat Duncan
Susan R. Eaton
Jennifer Flanagan
Margot Franssen
Tatiana Fraser
Dawna Friesen
Hedy Fry
Anne Giardini
Jennifer Gillivan
Chan Hon Goh
Kathy Gregory
Mary Jo Haddad
Evelyn Hart
Linda Hasenfratz
Jill Heinerth
Debra Hewson
Alia Hogben
Pamela Jeffery
Christina Jennings
Maureen Jensen
Judy John
Roxanne Joyal
Victoria Kaspi
Petra Kassun-Mutch
Kathy Kinloch
Josée Kurtz
Lisa LaFlamme
Michele Landsberg
Silken Laumann
Karina LeBlanc
Patti Leigh
Monique Leroux
Julia Levy
Joanne Liu
Alison Loat
Sarah Lubik
Fiona Macfarlane
Christine Magee
Ann Makosinski
Elizabeth May
Janice McDonald
Meagan McGrath
Marianne McKenna
Nancy McKinstry
Tracey McVicar
Anne-Marie Mediwake
Deepa Mehta
Monique Mercier
Farah Mohamed
Emily Molnar
Marta Mulkins
Saadia Muzaffar
Carol Newell
Susan Niczowski
Samantha Nutt
Ratna Omidvar
Barbara Orser
Sue Paish
Natalie Panek
Julie Payette
Heather Payne
Mia Pearson
Vivienne Poy
Sarah Prevette
Shahrzad Rafati
Justina Ray
Alison Redford
Mandy Rennehan
Jennifer Reynolds
Shannon Rogers
Michele Romanow
Kate Ross LeBlanc
Janet Rossant
Ebonnie Rowe
Martha Salcudean
Vicki Saunders
Gabrielle Scrimshaw
Dorothy Shaw
Brigitte Shim
Molly Shoichet
Gerri Sinclair
Victoria Sopik
Janice Stein
Ratana Stephens
Angela Sterritt
Belinda Stronach
Shannon Susko
Tamara Taggart
Carole Taylor
Kathleen Taylor
Vianne Timmons
Erin Treloar
Ilse Treurnicht
Tanya van Biesen
Annette Verschuren
Tamara Vrooman
Lise Watier
Sheila Watt-Cloutier
Sandra Wear
Hayley Wickenheiser
Faye Wightman
Lorelei Williams
Terri-Lynn Williams-Davidson
Jody Wilson-Raybould
Kathleen Wynne
Selected Honours and Achievements
Jill Earthy
Lois Nahirney
Cybele Negris
Maili Wong
Introduction
FOR EIGHT YEARS, I had the immense privilege of running a national organization focused on supporting and elevating young women. It was created with a desire to learn from the diverse voices of extraordinary female role models who are leaders in their fields.
While a lot has changed, we still have a long way to go toward equality and equity. The data remind us that the gender pay gap in Canada still exists, that the proportion of women in positions of power is not at par, and that women are not financially or systematically supported at equal levels.
But there is great reason for hope. More women than ever are starting businesses, leading our communities, and achieving “firsts,” “seconds,” and “thirds.” Feminism is experiencing a global resurgence—from the Fearless Girl statue on Wall Street to Women’s March Global, women are being seen and heard in an unprecedented way. Some will say feminism is not needed, or that it is outdated or divisive. That is not the feminism I know.
Feminism is an invitation for us, women and men alike, to bring forth our best selves and to operate from a place of generosity and abundance. Feminism is an invitation to co-create possibility through power, equity, and imagination.
Canadian women are the barometers of our country’s incredible human potential. The women who contributed to this book represent only a fraction of that potential, and their stories serve as an inspirational representation of the countless other known and unknown accomplishments of all women in Canada throughout its history. Some of these women you know well, and will get to know better. Others, you may be meeting for the first time. All of them are remarkable.
I couldn’t have engaged with all our extraordinary contributors and their stories on my own. I first gathered a team of talented women to help me curate these stories—Jill Earthy, Lois Nahirney, Cybele Negris, and Maili Wong—who are themselves sources of inspiration for many.
Together we reached out deeply and widely into communities. We researched awards and recognitions: from nationally scaled honours like the Order of Canada, to more community-based impact awards like the YWCA Women of Distinction. We consistently checked our perspective and challenged ourselves to be mindful of diversity across many metrics. Our criteria were simple and powerful: women who are leaders in their fields, who make a difference for other women, and who inspire those around them. Canada has no shortage of women of this calibre.
As you will read in the interviews, we must acknowledge and hold space for Canada’s history. As we celebrate 150 years since Canada’s Confederation, we must also remember that our country is more than 150 years old, and that our work of being truly united is not yet over.
I hope the stories of these women will inspire and spur us to action, and be a catalyst for those who will lead us to the next gre
at heights. May this book serve as a step in changing the narrative about women and who we see as our leaders, champions, and luminaries.
PAULINA CAMERON
September 2017
Acknowledgements
With each step up
I take,
I vow
To lift up one more.
Till we are all standing,
Shoulder to shoulder.
MY UTMOST GRATITUDE to my boys, for unconditionally loving and supporting me, endlessly cleaning the kitchen (David!), and for the sweetest mamaaaaaa’s and muuuuah’s (Jude!).
Thank you to Karla, the best ciocia there is. To my parents for the courage they have lived and taught us.
To my 24/7, worldwide cheering squad: Gen, Katie, and Theo: “Behind every great woman is another great woman replying to her frantic texts in the middle of the night”—Nora McInerny
Thank you, Jesse, for answering a wild-idea email with “there is always a way!” and truly creating the way with your team (Gabi and Peter, you make magic happen). Thank you, Farah, for your dynamic, imaginative, and welcoming eye.
Thank you, Pina, for your speedy transcribing. Thank you, Stephanie and Amelia, for hopping in to quickly support. Thank you to everyone who made recommendations, introductions, and suggestions.
Thank you to all the friends and family for every single text, tweet, insta, email, and phone call of support—each one popped in at just the right time and lifted me up.
Thank you to each of the women I interviewed. What we do creates ripple effects. Each of you has carved out a path and made a new contribution. Many of you may not reap the benefit of that, but rather will be leaving it as your legacy. I have the most immense gratitude and admiration for each of you.
Paulina Cameron is Director of the BC + Yukon division of Futurpreneur Canada. The founder of Young Women in Business, she serves on the Government of Canada’s Expert Panel on Youth Employment. Paulina won an Alliance for Women’s Top 100 International Women Award and the inaugural Wendy McDonald Award from the Vancouver Board of Trade.
#Canada150Women
Curators’ Notes
WHEN ASKED TO name famous inventors, trailblazers, or icons, most people begin naming men. It is important to portray women’s stories—first, to showcase what is possible; second, to inspire young women and men to take positive action in the face of challenges; and third, to continue to grow, standing on the shoulders of those who have built the foundation. It is about time our children started seeing and hearing the amazing accomplishments of women who have contributed so much to the fabric of our society.
The journey for women has often been challenging. Women have, in many cases, worked harder and longer to get where they are today. Women deserve champions and advocates who understand the barriers that exist and actively work to support the advancement of women. By recognizing female leadership, we also reinforce the power and great payoffs that diversity and inclusion bring to the community, boardroom table, economy, and society as a whole.
Feminism continues to be an important topic as gender imbalance prevails in traditional models. In the past, women were taught to conform to existing models and environments. We now know this is neither effective nor sustainable. The definition of feminism is evolving, and new models are being created to embrace diversity and enhance inclusion. We need to stop fixing a system that does not represent all voices and instead create new paths forward.
If just one girl is inspired to step up as a leader, this book will have achieved its purpose. But it will achieve much more by inspiring all of us to shift our mindsets and to become engaged leaders and citizens.
JILL EARTHY
LOIS NAHIRNEY
CYBELE NEGRIS
MAILI WONG
Monica Adair
“Canada is young enough to become anything we want it to be. It’s never too late to protect our greatest asset—our natural landscape.”
Birthplace Saint John, NB
What age do you feel 32
Occupation Architect
Book you gift most Rosie Revere, Engineer and Iggy Peck, Architect by Andrea Beaty
Favourite drink Bourbon
Favourite place in Canada Always the place I last visited.
If you could have dinner with any woman, alive or dead, who would it be?
Anya Violet, co-founder of Babes Ride Out, a women’s motorcycle meet-up and camp-out in the desert, has captured my attention lately. She is part of a great group of people who are creating a unique space for women to grow the motorcycle community. She is fearless with the throttle on any terrain, and has a playful, adventurous nature that certainly has had a pull on me as I find my own place in the motorcycle world.
What message would you put on a billboard?
“We are what we create.”
Tell us more about taking the unconventional path, including how you raise your family.
Part of why my husband and I started our own architecture practice was to be able to design our own life. In architecture schools, the enrolment numbers are approximately 50/50 men and women, but for senior leadership positions worldwide women are significantly underrepresented. When we wanted to start a family, I didn’t want to have to choose between having children and taking our ambitions to the next level. So we decided to raise our children at work. We moved into our first office and designed a playhouse in the office called Hugo Bureau—for serious play. It took everyone around us to make it work; everyone pitched in. It was a gift to have our children close at such a pivotal time of their growing and our growing our business. We embraced the chaos and feel so fortunate. We learned that the way we operate might be a little messy, but if you go with it, it becomes an energizing flow that feeds everything in our life with meaning. Architecture is a demanding profession, and so is motherhood. Convention doesn’t lay out how to make this happen easily, so we’ve learned to look for answers outside of convention.
If you were to write a book, what would its title be?
How to Put Your Kids to Sleep, Stop Stressing, Save Money, and Not Eat Seconds. This and a million other things I’ve never learned to do.
Where did you learn about taking risks, and what is your decision-making process when faced with an opportunity?
It is easy to understand conventional ideas of risk, that idea of risking too much, but we are more interested in that of risking too little. Not every outcome will be clear from its outset, and it will certainly not be guaranteed, and we firmly believe that you can’t open new doors with old ways. Our greatest challenge operating in Atlantic Canada is mediocrity, that things are good enough. We don’t have to sacrifice it all to make a difference, but we do have to push beyond what convention tells us is possible if we want to live better.
When do you feel most powerful?
When I am in a creative flow at work, when I am executing ideas, when I’m on a dirt bike, when I exercise, and after giving birth.
What has become more important and less important to you in the last few years?
More: feeding my kids. Less: feeding myself. More: creating the life we want to live. Less: worrying about what others think.
Knowing what you know now, what would you have done differently when you were first starting out?
It’s taking me a long time to go my own way and not rely on the paths of others. I’m almost in my fortieth year of life and only starting to finally embrace my MO. If I had known this earlier, I probably would have just embraced the fact that the chaos can be a place to thrive, and not always tried to run away from it.
If you were to get a tattoo of one word, what would it be?
I have one. It says “Alive.”
Shelley Ambrose
“Time has become more important. What other people think has become less important.”
Birthplace Chatham, ON, but grew up in Calgary, AB
What age do you feel A very tired 32, or a very energized 80
Occupation Executive director and
publisher, The Walrus
Book you gift most The Diviners by Margaret Laurence
Favourite drink I’m not drinking today, so I’ll have the white
Favourite place in Canada Anywhere on the water
If you could have dinner with any woman, alive or dead, who would it be?
Elena Ferrante. So I can find out how she manages to write about mothers and daughters and friends in such an original, compelling, devastating way. And, of course, find out who she really is.
How has your view of feminism changed over your lifetime?
Different strokes for different folks. My view is that feminism is the ability to make your own independent choices; that means not shaming other women for their choices—however much you may disagree with them.
Of course, my experience in media is not universal, but I have not found it hard to be a woman in this environment. I was hired by a woman for my first significant job, and in all of my positions, either a woman has been the boss, or there were several women in the most senior positions. I have hired lots of women, worked for and with lots of women. There are lots of women on air, on television, on radio, in print, and in power in media. There are many other industries and sectors where the lack of women at the top is much more prevalent.
What has been a defining moment in your personal or professional life?
Going to work for Peter Gzowski at CBC Radio Morningside in 1986 changed my life. For twelve years my job was travelling Canada from coast to coast to coast, making radio, making books, organizing charity golf tournaments; privy to fifteen hours of live conversation a week about everything from arranged marriages to the Oka crisis to chili sauce. It was very hard work, the bar was very high, but it was an incredible privilege and provided me with lifelong friendships and a very strong sense of place and our country.
What is your vision for Canada in twenty years?
With hope, that we are well on our way to reconciling our complicated past and have carved a path forward hand in hand with our founding first peoples and our new citizens. That we have confidence, pride, and compassion, while maintaining a sense of humour, our supply of fresh water, and lots of forums for the Canadian conversation.
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