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On November 11th, 1941, a group of women with the Canadian Women’s Training Corp stand in a field just south of Christ Church Anglican. Local women’s participation in the Second World War is explained on page 8. PHOTO COURTESY OF THE WINDERMERE VALLEY MUSEUM
Local accessibility champion welcomes diverse cabinet STEVE HUBRECHT steve@invermerevalleyecho.com The composition of the new federal cabinet, announced by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau last week, garnered plenty of attention for its diversity, and was greeted with welcome by a former Invermere municipal politician who has long championed better representation for minorities of all kinds. The 31-member Liberal cabinet has a nearly equally gender balance (with 15 women), and includes two Aboriginal MPs; five visible minority MPs (four of South Asian heritage and one of Afghani heritage); and two differently-abled MPs (one who became quadriplegic after being shot, and another born with visual impairment). “I think its fantastic. It’s truly exciting,” said former Invermere councillor Spring Hawes. “I particularly loved Trudeau’s response when he was asked why he had chosen a gender-balanced
cabinet. He said ‘because it’s 2015’.” speaking on the new federal cabinet. Hawes sustained a spinal cord injury “Unless you experience a disability and several years ago and uses a wheel- are completely and totally aware of all chair. She also raised two kids as a the barriers in a ongoing and continusingle women. She frequently brought al way, you just are not able to speak accessibility and women’s issue to the for people who are profoundly differfore during her two terms on council ent than you are. The same applies to (2008-2014) and the speech she gave gender. A man has not lived a womat her final council an’s life and simply Our entire Canadian can’t have the same meeting, in which population has, up she reminded the perspective and be incoming council until now, been represented aware of the the is(comprised entirely sues and concerns by middle-aged, relatively of middle-age, white is the same way a well-off white men.. males) to “reprewoman is.” SPRING HAWES sent everybody,” Hawes said she FORMER INVERMERE COUNCILLOR brought loud apwas also heartened plause from everyone in the room. to all see a balance of ages in the cabi“Our entire Canadian population has, net (several cabinet MPs are 65 or oldup until now, been represented, by and er, and several are 35 or younger) and large, by middle-aged, relatively well-off said the blend of new and veteran eyes white men. No matter how good their will be good. intentions are, it’s just impossible to “Of course, there will be mistakes along truly represent people who are not of the way as they learn, but it’s worth it the same demographic, ” said Hawes, for the new perspective they bring,” she
said. “I hope this diverse cabinet will represent more authentically the diverse population we have in Canada.” Trudeau’s cabinet is also geographically diverse, with MPs from each of Canada’s ten provinces and one from Nunavut (each of Canada’s three territories is a single riding), something that sat well with newly elected NDP Kootenay-Columbia MP Wayne Stetski. “I’m pleased to see that there are three cabinet ministers from B.C. in the new Liberal cabinet. I’ve looked at their qualifications and it looks like they certainly should know what they are talking about. Of course, our job is to hold their feet to the fire to deliver on the promises they made to Canadians,” Stetski told The Echo on November 6th. “And that is exactly what we are going to do. The role of the opposition is to make a better government, make better decisions. We take that seriously.” Stetski is currently attending training sessions for new MPs in Ottawa.
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Monday November 16th at 7:30 pm
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1914 - 2014
Celebrating 100 years