Thank you, Mr. Speaker. On this, the last day of session before International Women's Day, I speak to honour all the women in my life who have fought for equality and have inspired me. It's no secret to those around me that advancing the situation of women and girls is near to my heart and, in fact, it was one of the main drivers for me to enter the realm of politics. In my career as an engineer, and throughout my life, I have often found myself with no voice and no support. I have been the recipient of unwanted touching on the work site, from unsolicited shoulder rubs to the touching of my breasts and my buttocks. I have found myself in exploration camps high on the tundra with drunken men showing up at my room, and I have been passed over for management roles only for them to go to men younger than me with less experience.
During all the hardship I've had as one of the few women in engineering in Canada where only 13 percent are women, I've been able to lean on my support system of amazing women for comfort. Earlier this year, I said goodbye to the main pillar of that support community, my mom. My mom was an amazing woman, who lifted people up, and she was my biggest champion. Born to immigrants who never completed high school, my mom was the first person in her family to attend university, where she studied education and spent over 30 years inspiring young minds as a grade one and two teacher. My mom was a single mom for a lot of my life, struggling to make ends meet while ensuring that me and my siblings never went without.
My mom was an avid reader and a lifelong learner, and she taught me to question life and to be curious. From her, I inherited a love of crossword and jigsaw puzzles, as well as a wicked sense of humour. I learned to be kind and compassionate and to live my life with good intent, and for that, I will always be grateful. Thank you to all of the moms out there, who are holding the hands of their crying daughters as their hearts are broken when the reality of the plight of women in this world slaps them across the face. If it weren't for mine holding my hand over the years, I wouldn't be standing here in front of you today. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.