Something unusual happened in the House of Commons Tuesday.
Every Conservative who stood up during question period was a woman — a spectacle one MP noted as a “remarkable improvement.”
Interim party leader Rona Ambrose celebrated the “all woman line-up” of “strong” members of the House as a way to mark International Women’s Day.
She opened question period by imploring that the prime minister help Yazidi girls — who are being targeted by Islamic State militants — come to Canada under the aid of the country’s join-sponsorship program.
“Those who can actually flee with their lives are now languishing in IDP (internally displaced person) camps, but Mr. Speaker, we can help them. We can bring them to Canada,” Ambrose said.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau responded by saying his government is open to all suggestions. He added that Canada is a place “that will accept people not just because they’re fleeing tremendous hardship, (but) because they will contribute to economic growth and success of this country in the years to come.”
Ambrose: ‘I call myself a feminist’
Ambrose, MP for the Alberta riding of Sturgeon River – Parkland, set politics aside for a moment to explain to Canadians what being a feminist means to her.
“I am proud to be one of the few women in Canadian history that has led a national political party,” Ambrose wrote in an Instagram post.
The declaration comes a day after Trudeau reiterated that he’s a feminist.
“I myself am a feminist and I believe that we need to make sure that we have pay equity and gender equality right across the board,” he said during a global town hall hosted by The Huffington Post Canada in Toronto.
A record 88 women were elected to Parliament in October, but it’s a number that still pales when one considers there are 338 seats in the House.
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