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HP OPINION CELEBRATING INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY WE MUST FOSTER A FUTURE WHERE EVERY WOMAN COUNTS, WRITES ANITA ANAND On March 8, we celebrated In- ternational Women's Day (IWD). This occasion is a time to reflect and celebrate the groundbreaking achievements of women here in ar ee and around the world. mark IWD, I met with some of Dakwille’s women leaders at Sheridan College fora meaningful journey ahead. I thank them allfor sharing their inspiring stories, and for their dedication to our community. On March 14, my sister, Dr. So- nia Anand, and I held a fireside chat at McMaster University and spoke about how we can bring more women into leadership posi- tions across Canadian society. At the grassroots level, I am led that organizations like MOM2MOM BIZ here in Halton ANITA ANAND Column continue to offer valuable assis- tance to women entrepreneurs. I am also grateful for the essential work of Halton Women's Place and SAVIS tosupport vulnerable wom- en in our community. To better support women Cros: ‘re also taking real action to “deliver affordable child c already seen tan- gible results, with fees having de- creased by 50 per cent in Ontario and on track to reach $10 a day by 2025. Thanks in part to this prog- ress, 2022 saw a record-high 85 per cent employment rate for women. minister of national defence, my top priority is ensuring that all our milit pe ‘ial. tected when they put on their uni- forms. Every day, the women of our military serve Canadians with distinction and break down boundaries. On IWD, I had the pleasure of joining CAF women leaders to cel- My thoughts are also with the brave Ukrainian woman who have been crucial to their country's war effort. As Ursula Von Der Leyen said during her recent address to our Parliament ‘wom- MUNICIPAL ELECTION A MISSED OPPORTUNITY FOR OAKVILLE The following letter is in re- sponse to a recent story in the Oakville Beaver titled Halton District School Bost a draft pro- fessionalism policy leaves par- ents frustrated in wake of Oak- ville teacher controversy. Well now, this whole mess started before the last municipal election, and because the board failed to take any kind of affirma- tive action up until then, Imadea point of voting against every standing trustee who was run- ning again. they, y, every one of them, 3. got hak in, ‘didn’ 't they? Sol guess the majority of ak. & villians really thought every- thing was just peachy. You had your chance to speak with your ballot, Oakville, and you dozed through it. Lori Crank Oakville did not wait fo1 for them to serve in all capacities. They broke the doors down. These women also smashed a glass ceil- ing right over the head of the Rus- sian invaders." We must continue to build on progress we fe made foster a future where every wom- an count Anita Anand is the MP for Oakville and the minister ofna- 1 defe an be reached Dp ly pro- at anita. 8C.C0. SEND US YOUR LETTERS TO THE EDITOR The Oakville Beaver values the opinions of its readers, and the community at large. With that said, we welcome your letters to the editor on all matters that impact area resi- dents. We ask that letters be no more than 275 words, and include the full name and town of the writer. Your address and telephone number must also be included for verification purposes only. We do not publish anonymous letters. Letters will be edited or rejected for offensive content, factual errors, legal issues or space restrictions. Send your letters to insidehal- ton@metroland.com. We're making it easier to access home care. See all the ways we're helping you connect to care at ontario.ca/ YourHealth Paid for by the Government of Ontario Ontario © ype ‘Kepainu | seneeg omayeo | 2 8 woo"uoyEYyapIsUt