International Women's Day

Today is International Women's Day across the world, and I'd like to take a moment to salute everyone who is observing this day. There has been a remarkable evolution in the social, cultural, economic and political role that women play in our society and I'm glad I've been able to witness it during my lifetime.

Of course, this gives me a moment to salute my wife, an extremely intelligent and insightful feminist who had a remarkable career with a law enforcement agency in the public service. She began her career at a time when women were an oddity in the organization and not taken seriously. She displayed incredible determination, courage, resilience and persistence to forge ahead in her career, ultimately climbing the ladder from front-line inspector to national program manager at headquarters, and I'm very proud of her accomplishments.

All young women contemplating a career in a law enforcement agency should take courage from the dedication and perseverence of those who went before them, defied the odds and rose to the occasion.

For more information about International Women's Day in Canada, check out the federal government's website. I'd also add the international website's link, but it's incredibly busy right now and I can't land on the page. I take this as a good thing, right? That kind of traffic means that people are aware of this important day and want to know more about it.