Georgian Fundraising student marches on Parliament Hill
March 22, 2017
Georgian Fundraising student Leah Fearman, 22, took Barrie-Innisfil MP John Brassard’s seat in the House of Commons during the International Women’s Day March on Parliament Hill, March 8.
Fundraising and Resource Development student Leah Fearman was one of 337 women who participated in an International Women’s Day March on Parliament Hill on March 8.
“It was important to me because women, and people of visible and invisible minorities, are very much under-represented in politics in Canada at all levels,” said Fearman, who identifies as a lesbian and is also hard of hearing. She points out that people with diverse identities bring unique perspectives to discussions that impact policies.
In celebration of the 100th anniversary of some women getting the right to vote in federal elections in 1917, more than 1,500 women between the ages of 18 and 23 applied to Daughters of the Vote (part of the Equal Voice organization) for an opportunity to represent their federal riding in the Parliament Hill march.
Fearman, 22, represented the Barrie-Innisfil riding in the event that saw the women fill the House of Commons.
“What satisfied me most was the image of 337 women taking their seat in the House of Commons,” Fearman said. “One of the seats was intentionally left vacant to acknowledge the countless number of women in Canada who have been denied their political voice because of their experiences of sexual and gender-based violence. It was a really powerful moment to see so many women of various identities sitting together in one room in solidarity and support of each other.”
Prior to enrolling in the Fundraising and Resource Development program at Georgian, Fearman earned a degree in international development studies with a minor in political studies from Trent University. In her fourth year, she completed a research project – a form of community assessment – with the YWCA of Peterborough-Haliburton. She and her research partner helped develop a series of recommendations for a curriculum for women interested in participating in politics.
“This research was based on existing curriculum and interviews with women in politics in the surrounding areas. This sparked my interest in the issues,” she said. “I actually looked into Georgian’s Fundraising program because I felt that it would be good for me to have a skill that could support other women in politics.”