McKenna has no regrets about fighting back publicly against sexist comments

Federal Environment Minister Catherine McKenna says she hadn’t planned to confront a reporter from the Rebel during a news conference last week, but when the right-wing website posed the first question at a news conference in Vancouver, her pentup frustrations at the outlet’s “climate Barbie’’ tag just came out.

The incident happened at the conclusion of a meeting of provincial and federal environment ministers and McKenna asked the Rebel’s Christopher Wilson if he would commit that neither he nor his outlet would use the sexist label anymore.

She concedes it was a little bit “awkward’’ to raise the issue in that manner but she “just thought it was really important.’’

“I’m quite pleased I did it and I’m pleased because hopefully it makes ... it more possible for other women and girls to step up and do the same,’’ McKenna said in an interview Tuesday with The Canadian Press.

The ensuing feedback since the incident has been overwhelmingly positive, said McKenna, adding she wants the Rebel and anyone else to stop using sexist names for all women, not just her.

“There’s a group of people who continually attack me because of the colour of my hair or supposedly the tone of my voice or all sorts of reasons,’’ McKenna said.

“But it’s about making sure that women and girls can see a place for them in politics and recognizing that it’s not OK to make fun of women because of how they look.’’

The “climate Barbie’’ tag was coined by Rebel media almost as soon as McKenna was named environment minister in November 2015.