Political statements make for the introduction for International Women's Day 2019

Around the world, today is the day to pay our respects to Women,  as International Women's Day is observed by government officials and communities across Canada and beyond.

The Global observation, which has occurred for over a century this year is taking on the theme of BalanceForBetter and celebrates the social, cultural and political achievements of women as part of a global setting.

The Day makes for much in the way of political observation as well, globally the United Nations has provided for a number of themes to explore on the day, as well as to make note of the range of projects that international body has launched towards equality.

In Canada, the Day of statements was led off by comments from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau

“Today, on International Women’s Day, we celebrate women around the world: their achievements, their contributions, and their leadership. We also take a hard look at the inequalities and injustices women still face – and redouble our efforts to build a gender-equal world."

A Number of ministers of the Federal government statements in celebration of the "outstanding contributions of women and girls across Canada and around the world."

Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs
Foreign Affairs
Health
National Defence and Veterans Affairs
Status of Women

In British Columbia the Provincial Government has celebrated the day, with Premier Horgan and Mitzi Dean, the Parliamentary Secretary for Gender Equity setting the tone for the day.

“On International Women’s Day, we celebrate the incredible accomplishments of the women’s movement and honour the work of those who continue to fight sexism, gender-based discrimination, harassment and violence every day. “We are at a critical moment in the history of the struggle for gender equality. People from around the globe are joining together, raising their voices, telling their stories and fighting to end gender-based discrimination."

From the Northwest, Skeena MLA Ellis Ross had a head start on the observances, making note of the plans for today earlier this week, with a tribute in the Wednesday afternoon session at the Legislature.

There are no real differences between a male or female leader in terms of their abilities or skill sets. The difference is how we view and treat women. Sometimes even women treat female leaders differently, as it's a habit that society has ingrained into far too many of us. Women have made many tremendous strides in terms of their roles in society. Now we have to ensure that everyone catches up and recognizes the equality and respect of female strength and leadership -- A portion of a statement from Skeena MLA Ellis Ross in the Legislature on Wednesday




Jennifer Rice the MLA for the North Coast, took note of the day with a retweet of the Premier's message from the Legislature.

She also followed that up with a note of her own through her Facebook page.

So far, the day has slipped under the radar for the Mayor and council in Prince Rupert, should they offer up any statements, we'll provide the updates below:

You can learn more about the theme of the Day and how International Women's Day is being observed from the website created for the day, updates on the events across the world today can be found through twitter at #BalanceForBetter

To return to the most recent blog posting of the day, click here.