Nine women working in the political field will visit Washington, D.C. and other U.S. cities from May 12 to May 17 as participants in an International Visitors’ Leadership Program (IVLP) on Women in Politics in the U.S. The program is organized by the U.S. Embassy in Ottawa and sponsored by the U.S. Department of State.
The U.S. Embassy Ottawa and State Department worked with Equal Voice, Canada’s leading national, non-partisan NGO dedicated to increasing the number of women in elected office, to develop the program and find participants. The goal of the program is to share best practices, advice, exchanges, and connections, with female politicians, NGOS, centers of research and training, organizations, and political parties in the United States on the political mobilization of women. Specifically, the program will provide a description of American techniques in nominating, tracking and training women to seek and retain elected office, as well as fundraising, communications and methods of political engagement of women in the political process and key lessons learned.
Participants in this program are:
- Raylene Lang-Dion, National Chair, Equal Voice (Ottawa)
- Lynne Hamilton Colbert, National Vice Chair, Equal Voice (Ottawa)
- Genevieve Baril, Director, Development of Citizenship Skills, New World Institute (Montreal)
- Marie-Laure Landais, Project Manager, Regional Conference of Elected Officers of Montreal (Montreal)
- Elizabeth Elder, Executive Assistant, Director of School of Public Policy and Governance U of Toronto (Toronto)
- Jhoanna Miners, Planning and Development Officer, Nova Scotia Advisory Council on the Status of Women (Halifax)
- Paula Havixbeck, City Councillor, City of Winnipeg (Winnipeg)
- Courtney McVie, Executive Director, Office of the Provost and Vice President, University of Calgary (Calgary)
- Kimberley Baird, Founder, Kim Baird Strategic Consulting (Vancouver)
The IVLP enables Canadians who are emerging leaders in their professional field to observe U.S. institutions and culture first-hand, and to meet with professional counterparts to explore issues of common interest. Through this program approximately 40 Canadians a year benefit from three-week study tours, as guests of the United States. Founded in 1940, the IVLP has given hundreds of thousands of emerging leaders — including hundreds of Canadians — the opportunity to observe and interact with American culture and society on a personal level. For more information, visit eca.state.gov/ivlp.
Participants are available for interviews before and after the program upon request.
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Media Contact:
Jennifer Young
Media Assistant
U.S. Embassy Ottawa
Tel: 613-688-5315
Email: youngjm1@state.gov
