Hon. Katherine Hay: Honourable senators, thank you. Meegwetch. I’m filled with so much gratitude. This is Women’s History Month, which reminds me that we stand on the shoulders of true giants: women who dared to dream, lead and change the course of Canadian history.

Nearly a century ago, Cairine Reay Mackay Wilson took her seat as Canada’s first female senator, the Honourable Senator Wilson. Her portrait hangs in the Senate Reading Room. She didn’t just make history; she made space for all of us.

I am proud to serve beside the remarkable women who continue her legacy here in the Senate of Canada. Senators Bernard, Senior, McCallum, Henkel, Osler, Mohamed, Coyle, Batters, Madam Speaker Raymonde Gagné and every woman in this chamber — you are all trailblazers, and I aspire to be like you.

I celebrate you and all women who paved the way, refused to be sidelined, raised others up and broke through barriers.

Yet around the world, we have seen rights once thought secure face pressure. I remember the afternoon of June 22, 2022 — when Roe v. Wade was overturned — very well. I never expected to witness that in my lifetime, and I cried.

Canada does stand on firmer ground, but that depends on our vigilance. We must protect choice, dignity, equality and equity. It is the right thing to do. Women own over 18% of small- and medium-sized businesses, contributing more than $150 billion annually. Companies with gender-diverse leadership teams are 25% more likely to outperform. Workplaces with women at the helm see higher levels of innovation, stronger governance and better culture. Why would we not bet on women?

And as we look to the next generation, to young girls or women watching today, we cannot let them down. Their courage, confidence and belief that the glass ceiling can be broken — rather than it breaking them — that is on all of us, women, men, however one might identify. It is our responsibility to show them possibility, not limits.

My mother, Jeanne Hay, did this for me. Like many other women, she is a living reminder that every woman is lifted by the strength of another who cleared some of the path forward.

Women’s History Month is not just about history made, but also history in continuous making, and all our futures depend on it.