I’d like to say good morning to page Silas Dixon, who is the captain today, and to welcome his family: Joanna Dixon, his mother; father Ross Dixon; his sister Imogen Dixon and grandmother Sylvia Dixon. Welcome to Queen’s Park.

Thank you for the question. Yes, it is something I’m very passionate about. I think that sometimes women have to be asked to do things. There are a lot of things that we do every day as mothers, as working mothers in terms of our children and our careers. But sometimes we need to be asked, because they might be reticent to take on a new challenge. There’s lots of research that says women often think they are underqualified for something and therefore don’t go seek that opportunity—so I think encouraging women.

I recall being asked to join a finance committee of an organization when I was quite young. I would not have put myself forward for that, but they approached me and asked, and that began a lifelong commitment to the Kidney Foundation of Canada. I think more of that is required.

I look at my mother; I told you a little bit about my mother. My mother went back to school later in life to get her nursing degree. My daughter has just graduated with two undergraduate degrees, engineering and business, and my son also, who’s here, I’m very proud of, is just going into his fourth year at TMU in media production. And I think that just by showing up—we need to show up. And women need to be, as I said, encouraged to show up and encouraged to use their strengths and talents, and to ask other young women and young people to get involved in their campaigns and other political activities, because it is a great experience.