2020-2021 Program

The 2020-2021 program took place from January 28-29, 2021.

Women in House Coordinators for 2020-2021

Justine Coutu
From: Montreal, Quebec

In 2018, during the first year of my undergraduate studies at McGill, I applied to Women in House on a whim. I had always been passionate about politics and felt that the experience would shed light on the inner workings of government. I had not anticipated just how empowering and inspiring the experience would be. Seeing firsthand the courage and dedication of the women who work tirelessly to make sure our voices are heard on the Hill is thrilling. Along the way, I also met wonderful women who I have no doubt will play a key role in shaping our collective future. A few years later, I clearly see the pivotal role the program has played in my life, pushing me to actively uplift the women around me. Part of this has meant coordinating the 2020-2021 edition of Women in House and sharing my experience with a group of truly inspiring young women. The road to effective female representation in politics is long, but I have no doubt that these women — through their remarkable leadership and commitment — will bring us closer to the end goal.

Mary Lynne Loftus
From: Montreal, Quebec

Hi all! My name is Mary Lynne Loftus and I’m in my final year at McGill, majoring in Political Science and double minoring in Communication Studies and Canadian Ethnic and Racial Studies. During my first year at McGill, I had the honour and pleasure of taking part in the Women in House program and shadowed Member of Parliament, Mona Fortier. Through this experience, I realized the importance of female political representation in pushing for inclusive agendas and the power of strong female networks. My favourite part of the program was by far the inspiring women I met – some of whom became amazing mentors and close friends. Over the last four years, I’ve gotten involved in organizations like McGill Women in Leadership and the International Relations Students’ Association at McGill’s delegation to the Commission on the Status of Women. Women in House was truly the starting point for these involvements so I knew that I wanted to spend my last year helping organize this program. It has empowered me and countless other women, and I am certain this year’s virtual program will be an incredible experience for the impressive women that make up the 2021 cohort!

Iyanu Soyege
From: Edmonton, Alberta

Hi everyone! My name is Iyanu Soyege and I study Political Science and African Studies at McGill. I am Swati by birth, Nigerian by blood and Canadian by citizenship and residence. My multifaceted identity has led me to desire the manifestation of descriptive and substantive representation displaying Canada’s diverse communities in our governments. Considering I am passionate about representation in politics, I knew getting involved in the Women in House program would provide a splendid opportunity for me to address the issue. I am a firm believer in the idea that governments should look like the societies they represent in efforts to develop effective and equitable policies. I urge anyone interested in political work in any sphere (e.g. journalism, scholarly work, grassroots organizing) to get involved in this program because it gives participants unique perspectives and tangible experiences that will prove to be useful in their future endeavours. I am constantly inspired by past participants of this program who have become political staffers, federal Cabinet Ministers and the founders of non-profit organizations. I cannot wait to see all the things 2020-2021 participants accomplish!

2015-2016 Program

Participants

Applications for the 2015-2016 program were accepted from January 13th to January 31st, 2016. From the pool of applicants, 32 outstanding candidates were chosen to participate in the Ottawa trip.

Wednesday, March 9, 2016

• Panel discussion:
  • Mylène Freeman, former MP (NDP)
  • Gillian Prendergast, Library of Parliament
  • Marci Surkes, Chief of Staff to Minister Ralph Goodale (Lib.)
• Speaker: Sen. Yonah Martin (Con.)
• Supreme Court Tour
• Parliament Tour
• Senate Question Period
• Cocktail reception in Senate Speaker’s Chambers co-hosted by Senator Joan Fraser (Lib.) and Senator Linda Frum (Con.)
• Women in House Dinner

Thursday , March 10, 2016 

Each Women in House participant was paired with a parliamentarian to shadow for the day. The following parliamentarians participated in this year’s program: Niki Ashton, Sherri Benson, Candice Bergen, Marjolaine Boutin-Sweet, Ruth-Ellen Brosseau, Linda Duncan, Pam Damoff, Hon. Dr. Hedy Fry, Pamela Goldsmith-Jones,Karina Gould, Hon. Patty Hajdu,  Carol Hughes, Georgina Jolibois, Bernadette Jordan, Iqra Khalid, Jenny Kwan, Alaina Lockhart, Sheila Malcolmson, Irene Mathyssen, Alexandra Mendès, Joyce Murray, Hon. Lisa Raitt, Yasmin Ratansi, Ruby Sahota,  Deb Schulte, Hon. Judy Sgro, Anita Vandenbeld, Cathay Wagantall, Kate Young, Salma Zahid, Hon. Joan Fraser, Hon. Yonah Martin,  Hon. Claudette Tardif

Coordinators

Each year, two to three female McGill students apply from the group of previous participants to run the Women in House program. This year’s coordinators were Michelle Lahey, Celeste Matthews, and Allyson Taylor.

Fifteenth Anniversary Conference: Approaching Intersectionality

In celebration of the program’s 15th anniversary, Women in House hosted its very first full-day conference at McGill on November 14, 2015, entitled Approaching Intersectionality. The conference allowed Women in House to reach a greater number of McGill students, and explored in greater depth an issue deeply intertwined with female participation in politics.

Approaching Intersectionality featured the following distinguished speakers:

Michèle Audette
Michèle Audette is originally from Schefferville. Born to an Innu mother and a Quebecois father, Michèle grew up in an environment where political involvement was important. At a young age, she was empowered to be the first president of the Native Women’s Association of Quebec, then serving as Associate Deputy Minister for Women’s Affairs for the Quebec. Following her experiences and advocacy at the provincial level, Michèle made the jump to the federal political sphere, chairing the Aboriginal Women’s Association of Canada. She is committed to advancing the cause for issues primarily concerning Aboriginal women and families. Michèle’s advocacy and work has been recognized through several awards including the Woman of the Year 2014 awarded by the Women’s Council of Montreal and the Medal of Diamond Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II in 2012.

Dr. Monika Dutt
Dr. Monika Dutt was a candidate in the 2015 Federal Election in the Riding of Sydney-Victoria. She is the Chair of Canadian Doctors for Medicare as well as Medical Officer of Health in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia. She is a family physician serving the Wagmatcook First Nation. Monika has also worked as a public health and family physician in Northern Canada and inner-city Toronto, as well as in India. In addition to these many roles, she is an adjunct professor at Cape Breton University and holds a Master of Public Health and Master of Business Administration from Johns Hopkins University and is currently working toward a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing from the University of British Columbia. Her policy interests range from health care to poverty and climate change.

Mylène Freeman
Mylène Freeman served as the NDP MP for Argenteuil-Papineau-Mirabel from 2011 to 2015. During her time in Parliament, she was notably the NDP’s Shadow Cabinet Critic for the Status of Women and Chair of the Women’s Caucus.
She also served as Vice-Chair of the Canadian Association of Parliamentarians on Population and Development, and was a member of the Standing Committee on Environment and Sustainable Development, and the all-party Aerospace Caucus.
Before being elected, Mylène was a Student Fellow at the Research Group on Constitutional Studies (RGCS) at McGill and worked as a Research Assistant in Political Theory. She was a Coordinator of Women in House McGill in 2009. Mylène is a McGill BA’11, with a major in Political Science and minors in Philosophy and World Religions.
Mylène has campaigned with the NDP since 2007. She also ran for Borough Councilor under the banner of Projet Montréal in 2009. As an MP, she distinguished herself by working for women’s rights and by being highly accessible to the citizens in her riding.

Dr. Elisabeth Gidengil
Elisabeth Gidengil is Hiram Mills Professor in the Department of Political Science at McGill University and founding director of the Centre for the Study of Democratic Citizenship. A former president of the Canadian Political Science Association, she is a fellow of the Royal Society of Canada and holds an honorary degree from Université Laval. Her research focuses on citizen engagement, public opinion, and electoral behaviour, with particular interests in gender, social class, and ethnicity. She is the co-author of Making Electoral Demcoracy Work, The Challenge of Direct Democracy, Unsteady State, Anatomy of a Liberal Victory, Citizens, and Dominance and Decline and co-editor of Gender and Social Capital and Canadian Democracy from the Bottom Up.

Tanya Lalonde
Tanya Lalonde is Metis/ Cree from the community of Buffalo Lake in Alberta, although she has lived in Montreal for 10 years now. She is the President of the Aboriginal Peoples’ Commission – QC, board member of various Aboriginal organizations in Montreal & the Family Resources Coordinator at McGill University. She is also a former participant in Women in House and a huge supporter!
Her work as President of the APC-QC is centered around bringing Indigenous issues and perspectives to the Liberal Party of Canada – QC, while at McGill, her focus is assisting parents and caregivers on campus through research, support & advocacy.

Laurin Liu
Laurin Liu was elected in 2011 as the Member of Parliament in Rivière-des-Mille-Îles for the NDP. She served as the deputy critic for environment, as well as deputy critic for international trade and deputy critic for science and technology. Her parliamentary initiatives included tabling a private member’s bill to protect interns, as well as spearheading a motion to create a national strategy on eating disorders.

Sue Montgomery
Sue Montgomery has been a journalist for 30 years, reporting from Africa, Europe, and Haiti with a focus on social justice and women’s issues. She was most recently the justice reporter for the Montreal Gazette, a post she left in February. This summer she ran for the NDP nomination in NDG-Westmount – an eye-opening experience that confirmed her suspicions about the difficulties women face in politics in Canada. She looks forward to sharing her insights with anyone interested in real change!

2014 Program

Participants

Applications for the 2014 program were received from September 17th to October 1st. From the pool of applicants, 37 outstanding McGill students were chosen to participate in the 2-day trip to Ottawa.

Wednesday, November 19, 2014

• Glenda Yeates, Deputy Minister of Health 2010-2013, Trudeau Foundation
• Isabel Metcalfe, Consultant and Founder of Famous Five Ottawa
• Etana Cain, Equal Voice National Capital Region Chapter
• Tonda MacCharles, Toronto Star Reporter
• Dr. Pauline Rankin, Carleton University Professor of Political Science
• Tour of Parliament
• Question Period
• Panel discussion with MPs Niki Ashton (NDP), Mylène Freeman (NDP), Carolyn Bennett (Lib.), and Senator Linda Frum (Con.)
• Cocktail reception in East Block co-hosted by Senator Joan Fraser (Lib.) and Senator Linda Frum (Con.)

Thursday, November 20, 2014

• Each Women in House participant was paired with a female Member of Parliament or Senator to shadow for a day in order to gain an inside look at the daily lives of female politicians. Our participants were engaged in a variety of activities from sitting in on committees to attending votes, viewing the taping of news segments, and attending meetings with various organizations
• Women in House would like to thank the following parliamentarians for generously participating in this year’s program, and to acknowledge the assistance of their offices and staff: Stella Ambler, Niki Ashton, Senator Salma Ataullajah, Minister Candice Bergen, Kelly Block, Chris Charlton, Senator Anne Cools, Jean Crowder,  Libby Davies, Rosane Doré Lefebvre, Kirsty Duncan, Linda Duncan, Minister Kerry-Lynne Findlay, Senator Suzanne Fortin Duplessis, Senator Joan Fraser, Mylène Freeman, Senator Linda Frum, Hedy Fry, Senator Céline Hervieux-Payette, Hélène Laverdière, Hélène Leblanc, Senator Yonah Martin, Elizabeth May, Joyce Murray, Annick Papillon, Senator Nancy Ruth, Djaouida Sellah, Rathika Sitsabaiesan, Senator Claudette Tardif, Susan Truppe, Nycole Turmel, Wai Young.

2013 Program

Participants

Applications for the 2013 program were received from September 13th to October 4th. From the pool of applicants, 37 outstanding McGill students were chosen to participate in the 2-day trip to Ottawa. Thank you to our participants, and to the record number of interested students who applied! The program is a perennial success thanks to your energy and enthusiasm for engaging in issues of equitable representation.

2013 Women In House Participants

Wednesday, November 20, 2013

• Etana Cain, Equal Voice National Capital Region Chapter
• Althia Raj, Huffington Post Ottawa Bureau Chief
• Isabel Metcalfe, Consultant and Founder of Famous Five Ottawa
• Jill Vickers, Carleton University Distinguished Professor of Political Science and Emeritus Professor
• Tour of Parliament
• Question Period
• Panel Discussion with MPs Mylène Freeman (NDP), Susan Truppe (Con.), Irwin Cotler (Lib.), and Rathika Sitsabaiesan (NDP)
• Cocktail Reception at Metropolitain Brasserie sponsored by Senator Joan Fraser (Lib.) and Senator Linda Frum (Con.)

Thursday, November 21, 2013

• Each Women in House participant was individually paired with a female Member of Parliament or Senator. Participants shadowed a parliamentarian for a day to get an inside look at the daily lives of female politicians.
• The following parliamentarians participated in this year’s shadow program: Stella Ambler, Lois Brown, Diane Ablonczy, JoAnne Buth, Annick Papillon, Lysane Blanchette Lamothe, Linda Frum, Yonah Martin, Nina Grewal, Ann Cools, Salma Ataullahjan, Judy Sgro, Rosane Doré Lefebvre, Linda Duncan, Megan Leslie, Irene Mathyssen, Ève Péclet, Claudette Tardif, Rathika Sitsabaiesan, Carol Hughes, Joan Fraser, Niki Ashton, Hedy Fry, Chris Charlton, Jean Crowder, Pierrette Ringuette, Joyce Murray, Mobina Jaffer, Élaine Michaud, Peggy Nash, Judith Seidman, Mylène Freeman, Susan Truppe, Kerry Lynne Findlay

We also held our “Yes SHE Can” panel discussion on October 28th, in collaboration with the McGill Political Science Students’ Association. This inaugural event, open to all McGill students and community members to attend, was a great success. Visit our “Other Events” page for more information.

Coordinators

Each year, two to three female McGill students apply from the group of previous participants to run the Women in House program. This year’s coordinators were Shaina Agbayani, Finola Hackett, and Elyse Surette-DiMuzio.

2012 Program

Participants

During a competitive process, more than 130 female McGill University students submitted applications to participate in the 2012 Women in House program.  The 40 selected participants showed excellence in their academic, leadership and community endeavours, and a great diversity of backgrounds and experiences.

2012 Women In House Participants

Wednesday, November 21, 2012

• Isabel Metcalfe, Consultant and Founder of Famous Five Ottawa
• Tonda McCharles, Toronto Star Reporter
• Nancy Peckford, Director of Equal Voice
• Marlene Floyd, Lobbyist (Principle at Earnscliffe Group)
• Tour of Parliament
• Question Period
• Panel Discussion with MPs Susan Truppe (Con.), Elizabeth May (GP), Niki Ashton (NDP), and Irwin Cotler (Lib.)
• Cocktail Reception at Metropolitain Brasserie sponsored by Senators Joan Fraser (Lib.) and Linda Frum (Con.)

Thursday, November 22, 2012

• Each Women in House participant was individually paired with a female Member of Parliament or Senator. Participants shadowed a parliamentarian for a day to get an inside look at the daily lives of female politicians.
• The following parliamentarians participated in this year’s shadow program: Lisa Raitt, Susan Truppe, Lois Brown, Sadia Groguhe, Helen LeBlanc, Carolyn Bennett, Senator Janis Johnson, Kelly Bloc, Irene Mathyssen, Anne Minh-Thu Quatch, Nina Grewal, Mylene Freeman, Kerry-Lynne Findlay, Judy Sgro, Isabel Morin, Senator Anne Cools, Niki Ashton, Eve Peclet, Carol Hughes, Jean Crowder, Candice Bergen Hoeppner, Elaine Michaud, Wai Young, Senator Joan Fraser, Elizabeth May, Nycole Turmel, Charmaigne Borg, Linda Duncan, Annick Papillon, Chris Charlton, Libby Davies, Francoise Boivin, Laurin Liu, Diane Ablonczy, Rathika Sitsabaiesan.

Coordinators

Each year, two to three female McGill students apply from the group of previous participants to run the Women in House program. The 2012 coordinators were Kiara Kaminski, Amar Nijhawan, and Vanessa Wattamaniuk.

2011 Program

Participants

The 50 participants were selected on the basis of a competitive application out of a pool of more than 150 applicants. The Women in House participants are amongst McGill University’s top achieving students, both in terms of their academics and extracurriculars.

Wednesday, November 16, 2011

• Nancy Peckford, Director of Equal Voice
• Susan Delacourt, Senior Political Writer with the Toronto Star
• Jacquie LaRocque, Managing Director at Ensight Canada
• Tour of Parliament
• Question Period
• Panel Discussion with Susan Truppe (CPC) and Elizabeth May (GP)
• Nycole Turmel, Interim NDP Leader
• Cocktail Reception at Metropolitain Brasserie sponsored by Senator Joan Fraser (Lib.), with Guest Speaker Senator Claudette Tardif (Lib.)

Thursday, November 17, 2011

• Each Women in House participant was individually paired with a female Member of Parliament or Senator. Participants shadowed a parliamentarian for a day to get an inside look at the daily lives of female politicians.
• The following parliamentarians participated in this year’s shadow program: Stella Ambler, Joyce Bateman, Carolyn Bennett, Helene LeBlanc, Lysanne-Blanchette-Lamothe, Kelly Block, Francoise Boivin, Charmaine Borg, Lois Brown, Andree Champagne, Chris Charlton, Olivia Chow, Anne Cools, Jean Crowder, Rosane Dore Lefebvre, Kirsty Duncan, Linda Duncan, Kerry-Lynne D. Findlay, Suzanne Fortin-Duplessis, Joan Fraser, Mylene Freeman, Hedy Fry, Shelly Glover, Nina Grewal, Sadia Groguhe, Celine Hervieux-Payette, Candice Hoeppner, Carol Hughes, Janis G. Johnson, Alexandrine Latendresse, Kellie Leitch, Irene Mathyssen, Elizabeth May, Elaine Michaud, Christine Moore, Isabelle Morin, Marie-Claude Morin, Joyce Murray, Tilly O’Neill Gordon, Annick Papillon, Eve Peclet, Nancy Ruth, Djaouida Sellah, Judy Sgro, Claudette Tardif, Susan Truppe, Nycole Turmel, & Wai Young

Coordinators

Each year, two to three female McGill students apply from the group of previous participants to run the Women in House program. The 2011 coordinators were Casey McDermott, Talitha Calder, and Jade Chong-Smith.