Kim Campbell, Canada’s first and only female prime minister, addressed Carleton students and faculty on Sept. 22 in a lecture titled “Doing Politics Differently.”
During her talk, Campbell touched on the importance of youth involvement in the democratic process. She also reflected on her four-month reign as Canada’s 14th Prime Minister and on being a woman in politics.
“My mother was involved with the Second World War along with my dad, so I had the sense that girls did stuff too,” she said.
Campbell said she is a strong supporter of gender parity in politics and said having gender diverse bodies in parliament really makes a difference.
“If we have discrimination based on sex then the differences between the sexes are real, and if we create this parity we will have that richness in our legislative body,” Campbell said.
When reflecting on her reign as prime minister, she said wished it lasted longer than four months in order for her to accomplish more of the things she desired, but said she still had accomplishments she was proud of.
“I created the Department of Canadian Heritage and the Department of Public Safety,” she said. “I did a lot of things to try to structure the government for the challenges to come.”
Campbell also heavily focused on the issue of democratic vitality in her lecture and said governments need to be more open about the democratic process to promote a healthy image of democracy.
Campbell related democratic vitality to the broader issue of youth engagement in politics, and said a sense needs to be created that democracy matters.
“Doing politics differently is necessary in order to continue our commitment to democracy,” Campbell said. “Without this, we are impoverished politically and socially.”
Students who attended the event also received words of encouragement from Campbell on entering politics.
“If you want to get involved in politics, don’t get involved in a party, become a star,” she said, recalling advice given to her by a colleague.
Faculty members and students who attended the event said they found Campbell’s talk thought provoking and interesting, particularly her stance on women in politics and youth engagement.
Roslyn Stevens, a master’s student in women and gender studies, said she found the conversation about gender parity in politics very engaging, and that Campbell was an inspirational person to speak on this topic.
Karen March, an associate professor in the department of sociology and anthropology, agreed with Stevens, and added Campbell addressed another important issue when she spoke about youth engagement in politics.
“If we do not care about our own backyard in terms of becoming involved in the political process in Canada, we could lose our freedom,” March said.
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