What does International Women's Day mean to you personally, and why is it important for Canada Life to celebrate this day?
I’m a strong believer in equity and equality but like many who have come from a place of privilege (I’m a white, well-educated male), I’ve had many opportunities to do lots of things in my career. Dates like International Women’s Day are so important because they raise awareness of those privileges and help us to understand how they impact everyone. It’s also an opportunity to hear from people who haven’t had the same privileges and think about what actions can be taken.
On a personal note, as a father to my six year old twin daughters, I want them to have the same opportunity as others. I would extend that to all the six-year-olds right now.
Dates like International Women’s Day are so important because they raise awareness of those privileges and help us to understand how they impact everyone.
The 2025 theme for IWD is accelerate action, what are your thoughts on what that means to society and Canada Life?
We have recently increased our paternity benefits at Canada Life and on reflection, that would have hugely benefited me some years ago. As an example, when my girls were born, they were premature. I couldn’t take any time off aside from the standard two weeks paternity leave when they were in hospital, and this meant that I couldn’t be there while my wife was recovering from a caesarean. It was a time where we had to really scrape by and pull on the support of family to help us. Family came to stay with us but when you put pressure on the man to stay and work, it’s not helpful. Accelerating action is spreading the load, parenting is a shared responsibility. I wouldn’t feel embarrassed or uncomfortable to use the extended leave that is now available if I needed to and this shows how culture has evolved positively.
