Campbell hopes to see a second female PM
Former prime minister Kim Campbell was in Saskatoon on Wednesday to speak at the University of Saskatchewan as part of the institution’s Canada 150 celebrations.
Campbell, 70, became Canada’s first female prime minister in 1993 after she won the Progressive Conservative Party’s leadership race and replaced Brian Mulroney. But her reign was short-lived; despite an initial wave of popularity, Campbell lost her seat in the 1993 election as her party suffered its worst defeat in Canadian political history.
In the years since, Campbell has spoken widely on a number of issues, including gender and international politics, and is assisting the federal government in making Supreme Court judicial appointments. She spoke with the Saskatoon StarPhoenix before her talk at the university.
Q Are you surprised that you remain Canada’s only female prime minister?
A I am quite surprised. I’m disappointed. I’m trying to keep alive long enough to be there when the next one is sworn in. It’s interesting because it’s not like there’s a gazillion opportunities. You have to be elected leader of a party that has a chance to form a government. But the Liberals have had a lot of leaders since I was in office, the NDP haven’t chosen a woman leader since Audrey McLaughlin (in 1989). It’s not as if there’s turnover every year, but it’s interesting. You need to also have a leader who will give women a chance to shine and put them in testing portfolios.
I participated in Equal Voice’s Daughters of the Vote event last year (which brought 338 women — one from each federal riding — to Canada to sit in Parliament on International Women’s Day). There was this remarkable sense of solidarity and I am convinced that many of those young women will seek public office. I think they were so stoked sitting there and looking and saying “I want to be here.” So I’m hoping that might be one of the things that kind of stimulates a greater engagement of young women in the political process.
Q You have spoken a lot about climate change. What was going through your mind as you watched news of all the extreme weather events happening in North America this summer?
A I think it’s really worrisome. It’s not surprising. As the oceans warm and the jet stream is disrupted — which pulls down cold air from the Arctic, pushes warm air up — you get all these anomalies.
We’re seeing the vectors of certain diseases moving north. Dengue fever moving into Europe. It was an African disease. And in Florida, the Zika virus. All of these things are happening and it’s not new. One would hope that these horrendous hurricanes which are hitting places which are full of ridiculous climate deniers, that maybe they will begin to connect the dots.
What’s interesting is that there are a lot of jurisdictions in the United States, cities and states, that are not paying attention to Washington. If Washington’s got idiots who will not confront climate change for unbelievably bizarre stupid reasons, they’re preparing for it. They’re implementing policies to the extent they can in their jurisdictions. But to deny it just is criminal.
Q What do you see as the biggest challenge facing Canada today?
A We have the same challenges that we’ve always had which are developing our economy, playing a role in the world, building relationships with other countries that work for Canadians. I think there are a lot of challenges we face. I think we have a big challenge given the nature of who’s in the White House. I think that’s a serious for Canadians.
We need to grow our economy in ways that are environmentally sound, in ways that will provide employment for people, in ways that will help Canadians to have a prosperous and healthy lifestyle. But we certainly have the innovation to do that. So I would say that our challenge is to stimulate innovation, to tap our innovation, to give people a chance to use their brains.