Wilmot women get shout-out from former PM Kim Campbell
Canada’s first woman prime minister pleased with election of trio to township council
WILMOT TOWNSHIP — Three female councillors in Wilmot Township were quite surprised when a photo they took with a statue of Kim Campbell got a retweet by the former prime minister.
Cheryl Gordijk (Ward 2), Jenn Pfenning (Ward 4), and Angie Hallman (Ward 1) got their picture taken with a bronze statue of Campbell in Baden, one day after Monday’s municipal election secured a seat on council for all three of them.
The “trailblazers” will be the first women to serve on council in Wilmot since 1974, when Judith Row held a seat at the horseshoe.
Their election also means gender parity on the six-person council.
The photo was shared on Twitter late Tuesday with the following message:
“When this trio of trailblazers are sworn-in in December, it’ll be the first time there’s more than one woman on @WilmotTownship council at the same time. Plus no female Wilmot councillors since 1974! Perfect reason to pose with Canada’s first woman PM, @AKimCampbell.”
By Wednesday morning, the post had caught the attention of the real Kim Campbell who retweeted it with the caption “What fun! Only sorry not to have been there in person! All good wishes! :).
It was special moment for the three women.
“It was meaningful for me to see that today and have that congratulation message,” said Hallman, a 35-year-old New Hamburg
business owner. “Even for her to throw in that she wishes she could have been there in person was extra special. I hope at some point in my journey in life, I will get to meet her in person.”
Pfenning, 45, of Pfenning’s Organic Vegetables, said there’s an open invitation for the first and only female prime minister to visit them in Wilmot.
“The mere fact that she occupied that office changed the dialogue for girls growing up in this country,” said Pfenning.
Gordijk, a 57-year-old virtual office assistant, was the one who suggested the photo to the others. She said this year not only celebrates 25 years since Campbell was prime minister but it now also marks a milestone for the township — nearly 45 years since a woman has sat on council.
The three women will sit on council with three incumbents — Mayor Les Armstrong, Barry Fisher, and Jeff Gerber. They will be officially sworn in at the first meeting of council, in December.
“I’m really excited to be one of the faces that has changed history in Wilmot,” said Hallman.
The statue of Campbell is situated along the Prime Ministers Path on the grounds of Castle Kilbride, near town hall. Campbell’s statue — called “Could I have a Moment?” — was added to the path last summer and was created by New Brunswick artists Darren Byers and Fred Harrison.