International Day of the Girl – Statement by the Leader of the Liberal Party
October 11, 2019
The Leader of the Liberal Party of Canada, Justin Trudeau, today issued the following statement on the International Day of the Girl:
“Girls are taking this world by storm. They’re climate leaders. Voices for justice. Entrepreneurs transforming our communities. Artists telling our stories.
On International Day of the Girl, we celebrate girls and young women everywhere. And we come together to promote girls’ rights, and break down the barriers that still hold girls back. Around the globe, girls are leading that charge – fighting for what they believe in, making their voices heard.
Over the last four years, our Liberal government has made major strides to support girls everywhere, and that’s what we’ll continue to do. Under our G7 presidency, we worked with partners to announce a historic investment of $3.8 billion in education for women and girls in conflict and crisis situations – the largest of its kind ever made. This past summer, we announced another unprecedented investment – this time, to defend the sexual and reproductive health rights of women and girls globally. And a few weeks ago, we announced that a re-elected Liberal government will commit at least ten per cent of our international assistance to education, and lead global efforts to make sure kids growing up in refugee or displacement camps get the education they need and deserve.
We’re working just as hard to support girls and young women growing up in Canada. We will make it easier for young women to pay for post-secondary education by increasing Canada Student Grants by 40 per cent, and by giving students a full two years after graduating before they need to start paying off their student loans – interest free. We’ve worked to eliminate the gender gap in the workforce, from creating pay equity legislation, to launching the Women’s Entrepreneurship Strategy, to helping more women start a career in the trades. We’ve made it a top priority to end violence against women and girls, through the Strategy to Prevent and End Gender-Based Violence and the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls. We’ve all got to be allies to girls, because building a better world starts there.
To girls in Canada and around the world: there are going to be people out there who try to stand in your way. And that is simply because they’re afraid of your power – power you show us every day when you challenge us to do better. But there will always be more of us who are here to stand with you and help you create the future you want to see. So don’t hold back, and don’t let anyone stop you. You can do anything you set your mind to. Chase down your dreams, because this is your world.
Girls are the future, and the future starts today.”