Ottawa, Ontario
May 20, 2015
I’m sorry I can’t be with you today, but I wanted to send you my best wishes to all of you at this reception.
As Minister of Transport, I was pleased to hear that when my team was talking to your president, John McKenna, he wanted me to again “hammer home’ the need to promote and attract women into the transportation sector, and into aviation in particular.
So try to picture me with that hammer. As I stated last year, I firmly believe we need to encourage more women to work in air transportation and I also firmly believe this will benefit us all.
So I’m glad that aviation is changing and women are making their way into leadership roles.
Nonetheless, I would be remiss if I did not urge flight-school training operations and colleges to do more to get into our secondary schools.
They need to drive home the message to guidance counselors that there is a wonderful world out there for women in the aviation field at all levels, and that there is already a huge and growing need for pilots.
As your president stressed, we must broaden the reach
We already have some strong and talented women proving that Canadian aviation is evolving.
To begin with, Tracy Medve, President of Kelowna Flightcraft, is Chair of ATAC’s Board of Directors.
We also have Joyce Carter as President and CEO of the Halifax International Airport Authority.
We have Susan St. Amand, chair of the board of Ottawa International Airport Authority.
We have Mary Jordan chairing the Vancouver Airport Authority’s Board of Directors.
And, in December, I was pleased to name Terry Allen to the Board of Directors of the Calgary Airport Authority.
But I believe more can be done.
I have two sons and I’d be proud for them to work as pilots or air traffic controllers, or to work in many other fields in our air transportation sector.
But I’d say the same if I had two daughters.
I hope more young women will pursue the studies and training that will prepare them for careers in aviation.
I hope the institutions that provide this training will work even harder to publicize the benefits of careers in aviation.
And I hope that the entire air transportation sector in Canada will support efforts to see more women pursue such careers.
For our Canadian aviation to continue to connect communities in this country and to link us with destinations around the globe, we must maintain and build the workforce that will support this important work.
I believe Canada has the future workforce to achieve this goal.
And I believe these people will succeed, based on their skills and commitment, not their gender.
I hope that events, such as this one, celebrate and support the role that women – and men – bring to our air transportation sector.
Again, I wish you all the best and thank you for the contribution you are all making to Canadian air transportation.
