Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Happy International Women's Day. This year's theme is Embrace Equity. Embracing equity is not about getting through the door and breathing a sigh of relief that you made it. It's about constantly reflecting and learning who hasn't made it through the door and what it takes to keep the door open.
Mr. Speaker, I need to be willing to be uncomfortable, learn, acknowledge how the status quo is benefitting me and ask how I can help others achieve the same. Changing what our businesses, professions, spaces, and even legislatures look like doesn't often come from the masses but creating momentum in any space starts with just one person. We can all challenge gender stereotypes, call out discrimination, draw attention to bias, and seek out inclusion. Opening the door and then keeping it open means broadening the threshold and actually embracing diversity and inclusion in our every day.
This term, I stand in the only Canadian legislature that is, for the first time, gender balanced. Equity means supporting the presence and voices of colleagues and identifying whose voice is missing. Mr. Speaker, there's no point being the first if you are also the last, and I hope to see the inclusivity of this space continue to evolve. Poet Illock, when speaking about pronouns, said, quote, "pronouns then aren't just about the ability to use a word like she; they are ultimately about our ability to be. This has never just been about who gets to speak. This has also been about who gets to live. Equity, therefore, also means changing our habits, language, and continuing to learn and do better."
Last month, the National Indigenous Housing Network, along with the Women's National Housing and Homelessness Network, called for a state of emergency in the Northwest Territories when it comes to housing Indigenous peoples, particularly women and girls who have been left in the dark without safety or security as called for in the 2019 Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls Report. Equity, therefore, means stepping out of the status quo, identifying systemic barriers for others to survive and thrive and pushing for meaningful change.
Today is a reminder that I have an important role to play as an ally to equity and inclusivity. Learning is an important piece of this journey, and I would like to thank Kam Lake residents Inemesit Graham and Chelsea Backer for the education they openly share. Every day there are moments in time where we decide to remain stagnant or lift equity. Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.
Unanimous consent granted
Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and thank you very much, colleagues. Every day there are moments in time where we decide to remain stagnant or lift equity. Even just one moment where someone chooses equity has significance because moments in time strung together eventually become history. The question we must all ask ourselves is, Will my voice be part of this history? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member for Kam Lake. Members' statements. Member for Range Lake.
