This release was issued under a previous government.
Women leaders joined Minister McLean, MLAs and government staff to celebrate International Women’s Day.
“Today we celebrate the extraordinary accomplishments of Alberta women who have boldly advocated for a world where every woman and girl can fulfil her potential.
“We also celebrate Alberta’s first-ever Status of Women ministry, with a mandate to build a feminist voice in government.
“Our government made history in 2015 by appointing Canada’s first gender-balanced cabinet. That was just the beginning: in the past year, we have worked to improve the lives of Alberta women and girls by raising the minimum wage to close the pay gap, creating affordable, quality childcare spaces and increasing the number of women in leadership roles.
“We are advancing the status of women because it’s just, and because our future depends on it. When Alberta’s women and girls prosper, businesses profit, communities thrive and families flourish. Alberta simply cannot succeed if half its population is left behind.
“This International Women’s Day, join me in celebrating our strong and resilient mothers, daughters, sisters and friends. And let’s commit ourselves to the unfinished pursuit of women’s equality - because women’s rights are human rights and human rights are women’s rights.”