Young Ottawa women take seats in House of Commons today
Three young women will represent local ridings to encourage others to get into politics
Young women from Ottawa are joining others from across Canada to take each seat in the House of Commons today in a special initiative called Daughters of the Vote to mark International Women's Day.
This year marks 100 years since most women in Canada got the right to vote, so 338 young women will represent each federal government riding to promote more balanced representation in parliament and encourage others like them to consider a career in politics.
"The women that are going be sitting in those seats — they are the most ambitious, intelligent and innovative women I have had the privilege to meet. So honestly it's the future," said 19-year-old Lucky Ingabire on CBC's Ottawa Morning. She'll be representing the riding of Glengarry-Prescott-Russell.
The Daughters of the Vote delegates are all between the ages of 18 and 23, and were selected from 1,500 applicants by the organization Equal Voice, which promotes the election of more women in Canadian politics.
Indigenous women couldn't vote until 1960
"A lot of people are afraid to have a woman in power, and a lot of women are constantly told that's not your place," 19-year-old Danielle Lanouette told host Hallie Cotnman.
Lanouette is Ojibwa and Algonquin, and as she takes the seat for Ottawa-Vanier, she'll honour her grandmothers, who like other Indigenous women in Canada weren't allowed to vote until 1960.
"For me, it's a really political move that this system that tried to break down both of my grandmothers — that I'm now going to be sitting in that room," she said.
"As a Métis woman, we've not had the best history with the Canadian government, and the decisions that were made in those rooms did affect people in my heritage and my family," she said. "So being to be able to sit there and have a role there is pretty emotional."
First-hand glimpses of political life
Freedman and Ingabire recently visited Queen's Park in Toronto, where they met and learned first-hand from women MPPs about political life and some of the struggles and negativity they faced as women in politics.
"You know it exists, and when it's brought to light it makes you wonder how many females and women consider this when they want to be involved in politics, and how it might prevent them from going further with what they aspire to accomplish," said Ingabire.
But that meeting left them inspired, said Freedman. "For them to share with us what it's really like to be a female politician, for me it was a really beneficial experience."
Lanouette was also inspired when she recently met with federal cabinet ministers Jody Wilson-Raybould and Carolyn Bennett. All three young women say they may consider a future in politics.
"The women are the ones who raise the community up," said Lanouette.