Recently, I had the distinct honour of speaking with Catherine McKenna, who is running for the Liberal Party of Canada in Ottawa Centre in the upcoming federal election. A lawyer, mother, and human rights advocate, Catherine spoke with Her Campus regarding her own personal views and experiences within the professional and political world.
Sarah: Before we get started on the heavier stuff, let’s start out with some fun questions! What was your favourite television show growing up?
Catherine: It was a toss-up between Charlie’s Angels (I always wanted to be Sabrina) and Gilligan’s Island. They were my after school favourites.
Sarah: Favourite junk food?
Catherine: I have a definite weakness for salt and vinegar chips.
Sarah: If you could have dinner with anyone, living or deceased, who would it be?
Catherine: Pierre Trudeau and Tina Fey.
Sarah: What first drew you to become involved in politics, and with the Liberal Party of Canada?
Catherine: I first become involved in politics in a serious way, when I saw the negative direction that Stephen Harper was taking with the country. I find it very frustrating that we have a Prime Minister who puts more energy into thinking about how he can hold onto power than thinking about the future of our incredible country.
I decided to run under Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau because he has an inspiring vision for what our country can be. I was excited to be working with him and other candidates to make it happen. For a long time, I’ve worked to build a better Canada outside of the political system – first by running Canadian Lawyers Abroad, an organization that I co-founded, and then by running the Banff Forum, an organization that brings young leaders together to find innovative solutions to problems that Canada faces. Now I think it’s time to work inside the system to bring about positive change. Also, I really believe that we need more women to run! (HCuOttawa Note: Hear Hear!)
I identify with the Liberal Party because I believe strongly in individual rights and freedoms and that the government has an important role to ensure that everyone has the opportunity to succeed. Liberals are about investing in people, families and communities; not just because it is the right thing to do, but also because it makes economic sense. You can invest in these important social issues – like health, the environment, and in infrastructure like transit – and still balance a budget and have a thriving economy. We know it can be done because Liberals have done it in the past.
Sarah: Was there ever a time in your life that you considered yourself disinterested in politics?
Catherine: I’ve always been passionate about being involved in my community – whether it’s sitting on a local board like the Elizabeth Fry Society or coaching one of my children’s soccer teams. Politics is an extension of that. It’s just another way we can make our country better.
It’s easy to become cynical about politics and the political system but if we do that we all lose. We need to own our democracy and ensure that the issues that are critical for our country – like protecting the environment and ensuring there are good jobs for young people – are being taken seriously.
Sarah: It has been repeated time and time again that recent graduates are having a hard time finding full-time work in their desired fields. It has also been reported that they are graduating with unprecedented levels of personal debt. What do you, and your party, see as a solution to this problem? Is there a political way to fix the economic problems that youth are facing today?
Catherine: I meet many students who have really great degrees who are having a hard time finding any job or a job that is remotely in their field. Youth unemployment is 2.3 times higher than the national average which is the largest gap in 30 years. And a worrying number of youth are underemployed – working part-time or outside of their field – so they aren’t gaining the experience they need to advance their careers.
I was just speaking on a panel about this, and I hear it all the time when I am out knocking on doors: the status quo with youth unemployment and underemployment is unacceptable.
Canada can never thrive in the long-term if our world-be future leaders have no options beyond slinging beer or burgers, and struggling with student debt into their 40s.
Wasting this talent is wrong, and it’s doubly bad for the economy because not only are we missing out on all that has been invested in students’ education, but they also aren’t able to spend as consumers.
Fortunately, there are things we can do to help address this. The federal government has a role to play in creating incentives so that businesses hire new graduates. We need to expand apprenticeship and mentorship opportunities so young people gain the experience they need. We need to ensure that young entrepreneurs have access to funding that will help them to grow new dynamic businesses in cutting-edge sectors of the economy. Youth unemployment and underemployment is a big challenge that the federal government should be more committed to solving, working in collaboration with other levels of government, business, unions and others.
Personally, I have always been passionate about mentorship. There are some great initiatives I have been involved with, like Head Start for Women, or Canadian Lawyers Abroad’s Dare to Dream Program which provides mentorship to Aboriginal youth.
Sarah: Why do you believe that youth have increasingly become disengaged in traditional methods of politics? Do you believe this is a result of their own disinterest or rather a reflection of a fundamental change in society?
Catherine: I think youth disengagement in politics is a reflection of their frustration with a cynical, divisive government that isn’t listening to their concerns.
The Harper Government attacks environment organizations, attacks everything, and targets everything narrowly to win votes. It’s no surprise that youth don’t want to be a part of that.
It wasn’t always this way, and it doesn’t have to be this way. Together, we can change it. I’m certainly committed to doing things differently.
Sarah: As a woman who has accomplished numerous things in both your personal and public life, especially when it comes to your work with Canadian Lawyers Abroad and the Banff Forum, have you ever felt that you were set back due to your gender?
Catherine: That’s a great question. I think we’ve made significant progress in addressing discrimination against women. Wage gaps are smaller, sexual harassment carries harsh penalties, and gender equity is now seen as beneficial to the bottom line.
But often it’s the less noticeable things. The old boys’ club where men get asked to be on panels where women who are more qualified aren’t. You also still hear dumb, sexist comments. One old, white, male CEO asked me at a dinner if I’d give him mouth-to-mouth resuscitation if he had an allergic reaction to his soup.
Sarah: Have there been occasions in your life where sexism was present? If so, how did you overcome these instances and what did they teach you about present and future society?
Catherine: I’ve alluded to a few cases above but one that stands out was at an after-work policy conference. I was chatting in a group and one of the men who also had children condescendingly asked me whether I was ever at home with my kids. I shot back at him: “I gave mine dinner before going out tonight. How about you?” He was pretty quiet after that!
The bottom line is that while I used to bite my tongue, I’ve taken to speaking out about more. But I am lucky to have lots of support – from my husband, from my friends, from my colleagues, and from the Leader of my Party, Justin Trudeau. Many women do not have that support readily available. And as recent prominent examples show, sexual harassment and sexual assault against girls and women continues to be a serious problem. We all need to work together to shed light on unacceptable and illegal behaviour and provide the necessary support to the victims. That’s the only way that things will really change.
Sarah: In 15 years from now, what sort of Canada do you envision? Are we on that path now, or do changes need to be made in order to accomplish this?
Catherine: I think Canada has been going in the wrong direction and Canadians want change. Our economy is struggling. We don’t value the environment as we should. There is a lot of work to be done. To ensure we have the Canada we want in the future, we need to invest now in key areas like, youth engagement, jobs for new graduates and measures to protect our environment.
Sarah: Thank you so much for your time and your insightful responses!