International Women’s Day: Mayor Smith’s Statement
On this International Women’s Day, let us celebrate the remarkable women leaders, mothers, sisters and daughters who have blazed trails and paved the way for progress, breaking down barriers and inspiring others to follow in their footsteps.
Here in Westmount, I think of women like Thérèse Casgrain (1896-1981), founder of the Féderation des femmes du Québec, who lived in our city for over 60 years and was involved in defending women’s rights all her life. I am also thinking of Muriel Kaplan and JoAnn Issenman, the first women elected to City Council in our City, of May Cutler, the first woman mayor of Westmount, of Julie Mandeville, our new Director General and the first woman to hold this position in Westmount, and of all the women who are involved in municipal life as elected officials or working in the administration to serve the community. These women have shown courage, strength and resilience in the face of adversity, and their dedication to making the community a better place for all is truly inspiring.
The increase of violence against women in Quebec in recent years, the questioning in many places of hard-won rights such as the right to abortion, the slow progress towards true pay equity in the country, and the under-representation of women in politics and in leadership roles are, however, all issues that tell us that there is still a lot of work to be done.
We must continue the work started by previous generations.
We must continue to honour and support these incredible women.
We must work together to build a more inclusive, equitable and just society for everyone.
Happy International Women’s Day to all!
Christina M. Smith
Mayor of Westmount