W7 summit urges leaders to go beyond ‘platitudes’

OTTAWA — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau promised to bring his lauded feminist credentials to hosting the G7 summit — and dozens of gender equality activists are gathering in Ottawa this week to make sure he does.

“We want to go beyond the platitudes of leaders declaring themselves as feminists and actually see that the declarations are showing up in the policies,” said Paulette Senior, president and CEO of the Canadian Women’s Foundation.

Those policies, Senior said, “have significant implications and can have great impact on the lives of all citizens.”

The Liberal government is making gender equality a major theme of its G7 presidency this year, including by pushing for measures aimed at boosting the economic empowerment of women and increasing female participation in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

Starting Wednesday, the W7 summit — the ‘W’ is for ‘women’ — will work to ensure the voices of grassroots feminist activists from around the world are heard when G7 leaders gather around their exclusive table at a resort in La Malbaie, Que., in June.

The group of about 70 women from 20 countries will be delivering their own set of recommendations for how Canada and other G7 nations could address gender equality, including when it comes to peace and security, climate change, violence against women and building a stronger — and more inclusive — feminist movement.

Julie Delahanty, executive director of Oxfam Canada, said G7 leaders need to recognize there is a gender gap around the world, including at home.

“We really think it is going to be a waste of time and taxpayer money unless world leaders are able to listen to the voices of people who have really been on the front lines of some of the issues that they’re facing, or that they should be facing,” said Delahanty.

The activists will also be pushing Canada to stand firm on its commitment to the more controversial issue of sexual and reproductive health rights, including access to abortion, which could pose a challenge for Trudeau when it comes to bringing U.S. President Donald Trump onside.

The W7 summit coincides with the first meeting of the G7 gender equality advisory council, which includes such members as Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai, Christine Lagarde, the head of the International Monetary Fund, and billionaire philanthropist Melinda Gates.