Protesters march, in support of the Women’s March on Washington, in Toronto on Saturday, January 21, 2017. Protests were held across Canada today in of the Women’s March on Washington. Organizers say 30 events in all have been organized across Canada, including Ottawa, Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Frank Gunn)
WINNIPEG — Monday marked the start of Women’s Equality Week in Manitoba, beginning with a panel discussion, Empowering Women in Leadership.
Sport, Culture and Heritage Minister Rochelle Squires proclaimed the third week in January to promote gender equality.
“Although women have made tremendous strides over the last 100 years, we still have fewer opportunities than men to benefit from economic development and we participate in the labour force at lower rates,” said Squires.
The event picks up on the theme of the Lift Her Up campaign, which calls on Canadians to stand up against bullying and sexist or violent language towards women. The public can follow the discussion on social media using the hashtag #LiftHerUpMB.
Speaker Myrna Driedger and the Equal Voice Manitoba organization will mark 100 years of women’s suffrage at the Legislative Building on Tuesday.
Squires also announced the provincial government will begin an online gender and diversity analysis learning resource for government workers, meant to shape future laws, policies and programs to ensure that gender equity is considered.
Roundtable discussions are also planned in Gimli and Brandon this Friday and Saturday. To register for either event, email contact msw@gov.mb.ca or call 1-800-263-0234.
