Local student selected to take parliamentary seat
Rosalyn Martin has been selected as the delegate for the Simcoe-Grey riding during the Daughters of the Vote program in Ottawa at the end of the month.
Equal Voice has invited young women, ages 18 to 23, from across the country to take the seats of 338 members of parliament during the once-in-a-lifetime political leadership program.
They will be addressed by every federal party leader, and engage with an array of Ministers, critics and advocates. Following the Ottawa event, all delegates will be eligible for a leadership grant to accelerate advocacy efforts in their local communities, said Equal Voice.
A female-identifying person from every riding in Canada will take the seat of their parliamentary representatives from March 31 to April 5.
Martin, from Glencairn, is taking the seat of Simcoe-Grey MP Kellie Leitch.
Delegates will have the opportunity to participate in networking and workshops, all with the goal of learning and empowering young women, encouraging them to engage in politics, feminism and equal rights.
“It will be very interesting because there is one person from every single riding so we are going to get such a diverse perspective on everything,” said Martin. “There will be people from Iqaluit for example who will be able to teach me so much… I think that is going to be very empowering for everyone there.”
Each one is given the opportunity to give a speech on something that impacts their community and its constituents. They also have the opportunity to give a speech in the senate.
Martin will be speaking on the topic of sexual violence in this community and how there’s a lack of resources for people who have been assaulted and who have experienced sexual trauma.
“I think it is a very taboo topic to be talking about,” said Martin. “There is a lot of shame, stigma, and trauma attached to sexual violence and I think it’s important that we talk about it in a space like parliament, and like the senate, to bring a voice to women because women are proportionately more likely to be sexually assaulted or raped.”
She is calling for more resources for people who are survivors of sexual assault but also more education for men, and people who have been sexually assaulted on how to report.
“In our high schools we need our guidance counsellors to have sexual bystander intervention training, as well as all teachers ultimately,” said Martin.
The training teaches people how to best help someone who has been sexually assaulted, following a set protocol.
“The majority of the time they are by themselves and don’t know what to do so this type of training is so vital in changing our culture,” said Martin, taking it from one of shame to seeking medical attention and police reporting.
She said in the current culture, there is too much of an emphasis on women protecting themselves from violence. She said we need to flip that switch to educate men on violence prevention.
Martin has requested a meeting with Leitch, and other MPs, and is waiting to hear.
A RAY’s Place scholar, Martin is currently studying politics and gender studies at Queen’s University, where she is involved in several advocacy and activist groups on campus and in the Kingston community.
Martin said it is possible she will seek elected office one day but in the meantime she is pursuing a career in gender law.
She said she is affiliated with Queen’s Young Liberals but votes taking into account many factors, not just party politics. She said she hopes to see Simcoe-Grey vote another way one day, other than Conservative.
“I just want to be involved. I want to make a change. Studying politics has really opened my eyes to not only our national inequality, but our international inequality. I think that Canada, as a global actor has the power to make some pretty cool changes and I don’t know if we’re totally harnessing that right now,” said Martin.
