A candid discussion with Dr. Laura Mae Lindo



Barriers to equity: Women, political representation and family

By Tracelyn Cornelius University Relations

Women face signifi

cant

barriers when it comes to achieving equity, particularly in politics

Dr. Laura Mae Lindo,

the Kitchener Centre Member of Provincial Parliament,

addressed these issues at a recent event

as part of

International Women’s Day (IWD)

series

hosted and organized by the University of Waterloo

in collaboration with the Women in Communications and Technology Waterloo Region Chapter (WCT WR

Speaking at

March 1

discussion

called

Barriers to equity: Women, political representation & fami

Lindo

shared

personal experiences

o

f

bein

g

a Black

single

parent

involved in politics.

highlighted that

ident

ifying

and addressing barriers to equity for women is particularly

timely

and relevant

Canada

strive

s

to create a more

equitable

society, not just for women

but for everyone.

"Women face various barriers when it comes to achieving equity,

s

he said. "

There is a need for a deeper understanding of the barriers that prevent racialized women from advancing in the system.

This involves

collecting and analyzing data

women

fail to

advance

recognizing the intersectional identities of women

and having meaningful conversations about the

issues

Lindo

recently

announced

that

she was leaving politics in July

to join the University

of Water

as a faculty member in

the department of Philosophy in

Fall

20

23.

Addressing her reasons for

resigning

, Lindo

revealed

that while she

d

id experience racism as

Kitchener’s first

Black MPP

a lack of

childcare

was the primary reason for her resignation.

Lindo

emphasized that childcare is not just a problem for women or racialized women, but an every-person problem that needs to be addressed.

encouraged people to face barriers publicly, saying that the more they do so, the more likely change will happen. 

While r

esearch shows that Black single

women

face

significant

barriers

due to childcare

a lack of affordable

childcare is a barrier to advancement

for everyone," she said. "

I hope that by

raising awareness about childcare as a barrier,

real

change can happen.

Lindo also emphasized the need to transform education and pedagogy

She said that

she will

bring

a deep equity lens to

her new role as a philosophy professor at Waterloo.

The incoming professor

is a Black Cluster hire, an initiative created to increase the representation of Black faculty members to address the systemic underrepresentation of Black scholars at the University and to be more representative of the student body being served. 

Before entering politics in 2018, Lindo was a former director of Equity at Wilfr

i

d Laurier University. She

also holds a 

Masters

and a PhD

E

ducation from York University. 

I

n

December 2021,

the MPP

tabled

Bill 67, The Racial Equity in Education Systems Act

 which

would

recognize the existence of systemic racism and discrimination in schools and

post-secondary institutions and

require educational institutions to create racial equity plans.

Lindo

re-tabled the Bill

i

n August

2022

 with co-sponsors MPP Lise

Vaugeois

and MPP

Jill

Andrew

Now called

Bill 16,

 Racial Equity in the Education System Act

was scheduled

to be debated

i

n November

2022,

but Lindo’s father passed away that same month

and the

Bill

rescheduled.

Lindo, whose resignation as MPP comes into effect

July look

s

forward

the debate being rescheduled. 

The discussion

Barriers to equity: Women, political representation & family

moderated by

Dr.

Jasmin Habib, Chair of the Political Science Department at the University of Waterloo

Building on the collaboration

established

during

IWD 2021 and 2022 WCT WR is partnering with

community

organizations to present IWD events throughout

the month of March 2023

that focus on the theme

Embrace Equity.

To learn more about more and to register for

other

events, please visit

IWD Waterloo Region

events page.