MLA Harwinder Sandhu (Submitted photo/BC New Democrats)

By Kevin Rothwell

First in person appearance

MLA Sandhu celebrates International Women’s Day in Legislature

Mar 8, 2021 | 5:15 AM

Today is International Women’s Day – a day recognized by the United Nations for more than 40 years.

It’s a day to celebrate the achievements of all women as part of striving to remove barriers, end violence and move toward a more equitable future.

Rookie Vernon Monashee MLA Harwinder Sandhu will mark International Women’s Day in a special way.

“The exciting thing is it will be my very first day as an MLA being in the legislature in person, in chambers, because we are taking turns due to the capacity in COVID protocols,” Sandhu told Vernon Matters. “I will be speaking about violence against women.”

On Monday evening, Sandhu will take part in a panel sponsored by the Canadian Federational of University Women, that also includes Vernon councillors Dalvir Nahal and Kari Gares and Teresa Durning-Harker, Constituency Assistant for North Okanagan- Shuswap MP Mel Arnold.

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Sandhu is also becoming a regular guest on Lower Mainland South Asian radio stations, and she will be a guest on Wednesday March 10, to talk about International Women’s Day and related topics.

Premier John Horgan and Grace Lore, Parliamentary Secretary for Gender Equity, issued the following statement for International Women’s Day:

“On International Women’s Day, we honour the many women, girls, two-spirit and non-binary people who are leading the way toward a more equitable future in our province.

“While we have all been challenged by the COVID-19 pandemic, women have shouldered a disproportionate burden. More women are working in the hardest-hit sectors, and many have taken on additional caregiving responsibilities for their children and family members. Deeply troubling reports of intimate partner and family violence are on the rise.

“We recognize for many Indigenous women, women of colour, women with disabilities and people in the 2SLGBTQ+ community, the pandemic has only heightened the inequalities that still exist.

“Our recovery from COVID-19 must be rooted in equality, where opportunities are available to all, regardless of their gender, ethnicity or other parts of their identity.

“Better days are ahead, and we will get there together. Our government is helping retrain people who have lost work, create new jobs and opportunities, keep our child care centres and schools safe, and provide support for the arts, culture, tourism and small business sectors, where so many women make their livelihood.

“We have taken meaningful strides toward gender equality, and the pandemic has highlighted how much further we must go. Together, we will use the opportunities before us to advance equality, protect everyone’s right to live free from violence, and build a better future for women, girls and trans people in British Columbia, Canada and around the world.”