Manitoba Lieutenant Governor

Lieutenant Governor of Manitoba

The Honourable Anita R. Neville, P.C., O.M.

EmpowHER Graduate Celebration Reception

Remarks by

The Honourable Anita Neville, P.C., O.M.

Lieutenant Governor of Manitoba

EMPOWHER GRADUATE CELEBRATION RECEPTION

Government House

Tuesday, April 16, 2024, 5:00 p.m.

(please check against delivery)

 

Builders, creators and pathfinders – welcome to Government House and this celebration of learning and opportunity.

I’m pleased to welcome you here in the heart of Treaty One territory and the heartland of the Red River Metis as you work toward greater equity in our society.

In Manitoba, the ancestral and present-day home of the Anishinaabe, Cree, Dakota, Dene, Inuit and Metis peoples, improving opportunities for women is an important part of our commitment to reconciliation, opportunity, healing and greater harmony.

When I read this winter about the first graduating class of the EmpowHer program I felt I needed to learn more about this program and meet these women who were taking steps to explore careers in trades and technology.

As somebody who spent a number of years working in the field of adult career education, I’ve seen how an opportunity for hands-on learning can change lives for the better.

And I know that women have long been under-represented in trades and technical careers.

So it’s truly inspiring to see so many women who have been able to gain valuable skills for the construction, manufacturing and film production fields through EmpowHer.

I’m also pleased to know that this program has had such a diverse intake of students in its first two classes.

As participants in EmpowHer, you weren’t just building careers. You were building community and building understanding by working and learning together.

I would also like to thank all the mentors and teachers, the Manitoba Construction Sector Council, Film Training Manitoba and Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters Manitoba, and everybody involved in all the levels of government that made this program possible.

I wish you all continued success in advancing your own careers and in helping women in Manitoba to find new success and opportunities.

Thank you. Merci. Meegwich. Shalom