Minister Filomena Tassi: The Importance of Gender Equity in the Workforce

Lisa Laronde  0:00  
Lisa, welcome to powerhouse project, a podcast highlighting some pretty incredible women. I'm your host. Lisa Laronde, this is our first show back after a brief summer break, or as I like to refer to it, the beginning of construction season. I'm not only excited to be back, but I'm thrilled to welcome today's guest, Minister Philomena task. She's the Minister responsible for the federal economic development agency for Southern Ontario. Hello and welcome Minister Tassie. Or can I call you Filomena?

Minister Filomena Tassi  0:28  
You can absolutely call me Filomena.

Lisa Laronde  0:30  
I actually like the fact that minister is such an inclusive term, so it doesn't matter your race or your gender. I guess everybody, if you get to that level, becomes a minister. Do you know is there a history behind the title minister.

Minister Filomena Tassi  0:41  
I'm not certain about that, but, but you're right on that. The comment it's male or female, it's referred to as minister, but I actually like being called Filomena. That's

Lisa Laronde  0:52  
awesome. So tell me a little bit about your life, actually, before entering politics, so we can just learn a little bit about

Minister Filomena Tassi  0:57  
you. Yeah. So look, I'm really happy to be on this podcast with you, Lisa and I, and I do want to congratulate you being named the top 100 by the Women's Network for your leadership and empowerment. And so congratulations to you, and thanks for the great work that you're doing. Thank you. Look a bit of my background. So I've had a few careers. I started as a lawyer, and I practiced law for about six years, and then my husband and I started our family, which was a surprise. We weren't anticipating that, but it was a fantastic surprise. So when that happened, I transitioned out of law and went into high school chaplaincy because I wanted to be, you know, with my kids a little more, and the high school chaplain was perfect. I'm a woman of faith, so able to practice my faith and be with young people, which I love, and at the same time spend a lot of time with my kids. And then, after almost 20 years of that, then I went into politics. And so for the past nine years, I've served as a Member of Parliament for Hamilton, West, Ancaster, Dundas, and the past six years as minister in different portfolios. Well,

Lisa Laronde  2:07  
I have to ask, how you go from lawyer to school chaplain to politics, out of all of the career paths, what prompted you to get into politics?

Minister Filomena Tassi  2:17  
I often get this question I can imagine. And I have to say that when I was first asked to run federally, my first response was absolutely not. I am not doing that. And then what happened is, I guess most people would say the stars aligned, right, like it was one thing after another. So my first response was no. So when I was asked, it was, No, I'm not doing that. But then things started to line up. And you know, for me, I prayed a lot about it. I had conversations with my family, and ultimately I decided that that I would step forward and put my name forward. I knew what was involved, to some extent, because I worked in a family where we volunteered in politics for years. My parents, particularly my mother, was the one that introduced me into politics, and she introduced me and my three siblings, but I was the only one that bit. But I always saw myself in the background. I never saw myself as occupying the position as the politician. But then, you know, I here I am so and it's interesting because they say that when women are asked, they have to be asked repeatedly before they actually say yes and commit. So it's interesting, but here I am.

Lisa Laronde  3:35  
I know I actually was recently at the AMO conference Association and Municipalities of Ontario, and I was actually lucky enough to speak, actually on two panels, one about women in leadership, and the other one was on infrastructure. But it was interesting, and I didn't realize this, just the amount of online harassment that women are getting that are in politics and globally, that's causing women now to either leave or or to not participate. So have you experienced anything like that?

Minister Filomena Tassi  4:06  
Well, look, I I always try and be positive. And one of the reasons that I got into politics, the main reason, is to surf. That's what motivated me. So if you were to say to me, what, what sort of at the end of the day, was the deciding factor, and I thought the opportunity to be able to serve people in this capacity. I mean, I was serving in chaplaincy, journeying with people on on some difficult challenges, but also some, you know, fun and great things, politics, the same like to think that you can actually be a part of implementing programs that are going to help people, like $10 a day, childcare, like pay equity, like the Women's Entrepreneurship Program, $6 billion so those are the things that I thought to myself, That's what was the deciding factor in terms of the challenges, they're absolutely there, and the anger and the frustration and the vitriol. Like. That is a part of the day to day life, which is regrettable, but I think that's why we need more women in politics, because I think that women will be the change in this regard. You know, one of the things I implemented when I started was a mindfulness group. So I actually had mindfulness before question period and invited people to come to take that breath, because question period is probably the most, you know, challenging part of the day in terms of some of the things that are said and the political positioning and that, and it's a part of the life. I'm not saying it shouldn't be there. But I just think that there's ways to do this that are much more positive. And I think that there is a space for positive politics, and I think that women, if anyone, are going to be the leaders. So although it is challenging, and although you have to face, you know, think I have to carry a panic button. Now. My house has cameras through it. I am checking my back at times I come to my office and it's, you know, there's graffiti and protests and but if you can, we need women to step forward and to take on these roles, to change the way we do it. We can do this and do it in a way that we accomplish so much. And it's a positive environment, a collaborative environment. I think it's what Canadians want. So we need women. So I respect the decision if it's too much. I totally understand, you know, people have young kids are getting yelled at as they're going down the street, and their kids are brought into it. I get all it. I get all that I appreciate and respect where people are at but I think that the challenge is there for us to step up and to and to really fight to change it, but it's hard, and

Lisa Laronde  6:54  
I think we really do need representation. That's the only way that we're going to make change is to have people honestly like yourself, that tells a story, that actually tells a true story that is difficult, and it's not for everybody. But I think if we can actually continue to tell our stories and continue to work together, then when you know, I always say women, we look for community, a community of women that we can interact with, that we can be safe with, that we can be our authentic selves with you'll be honest with one another, and we'll support one another. I just I think that that's just so important. So how do you think we can attract more women into either the political arena, or how do we elevate them up into getting them into more of a leadership role within politics?

Minister Filomena Tassi  7:38  
Well, let me say a couple things. The first is, your podcast is a perfect example, like having these conversations, where as you say, there's an admission, is it always easy? No, it's not always easy. There are challenges, but there is a path forward. I look at the prime minister appointing a gender balance cabinet. This impacts the priorities that we have set. When you look at things like increasing the Canada child benefit, like pay equity, can you believe that we don't pay women equally for work of equal value?

Lisa Laronde  8:12  
And I also, can you believe that people actually think that's okay not to pay women the same wage? That surprises me.

Minister Filomena Tassi  8:18  
So these are initiatives that the federal government has implemented and put forward. And part of that, I think, is because there's tons of priorities. Having a gender balanced cabinet and having equal representation of women at that cabinet table and a prime minister that listens equally to the women as he does to the men, is important, and so the only way we're going to do that is by having women step forward. Now I say I respect those that feel they can't. They're in a position in their lives where they can't, but it's important that we do that. Secondly, we have to have a framework that allows and structures in place that allow women to be able to participate. Yes, I think of you know the challenges that we navigate. So at one point when I was serving as a Minister of Public Services and Procurement, which, by the way, is 24/7 like you're 24/7 on the job, it's, it's a full portfolio that is very demanding, very challenging, fantastic portfolio. You know, when I was there, I was ensuring that we got the rapid tests because of covid was upon us. But it was the end of covid, more, the end of it while buying fighter jets, while ensuring Canada Post was maintained. Well, like the list goes, like it was just, it's a huge portfolio, so there was a lot there. So I had an issue at home, and it was relating to my husband's health. So I went to the prime minister, and I just told him what my reality was I can't do this like I just can't do it. I can't I'm juggling as best I can, and we're good at juggling, but I'm gonna drop a ball. I my family. I have to. My family comes first, and I have to. So did he shuffle me out? No, you know what he did? He found me a portfolio that kept me closer to home. Mm. So if the federal government can do this, then we can do this. We can find pathways. And why do we find those pathways, not just because it's the morally right thing to do, because we as a country are way better off with the full participation of women in the workforce, and our record is good. So now women aged 25 to 54 I refer to a stat I have here, reached a record of 85.7% participation in the workforce. In February the US was only 76% and guess what? We're benefiting, because women are participating in the workforce. The final thing I'll say, outside of politics, although it's my political portfolio that enables me to do it, I'm at round tables with women entrepreneurs. And you know what? This is, why I commend you on this podcast. We're sitting around those round tables, and we're having discussions. And I'm with women that are amazing. They have fantastic ideas. They have ideas that they are passionate about. They have the energy, they have a motivation. And then we say, okay, you need a business plan. And some women have never put together a business plan. It's like, I can't do that. How am I going to put together a business plan? So the federal government implemented a $6 billion Women Entrepreneurship strategy to help them with things like, you know, putting together business plans. But it's the voices in that room, and we're around that table, Lisa, where a woman will say something like, I was challenged with a business plan. I didn't even know what that was. Or, you know, I went to a lending institution, and I had to go to 15 of them, none of them were or I had to talk about how I was going to do these things that I didn't have any clue about, you know, the liberation and the freedom and the relief that you hear when that woman says that, and the woman beside her said, You know what, I was just too embarrassed or felt too bad about asking that question. So let's have these forms, and let's have this dialog so that that obstacle isn't as big as what it seems. And I'll tell you, we as women take those obstacles very seriously because we're so conscientious. But that's what makes women so great as entrepreneurs, because they think of absolutely everything, and they want to do it well, and they want to knock it out of the park. And I can tell you, we as a government know they can knock it out of the park, which is why we make investments like that. And

Lisa Laronde  12:21  
I think that that's really important. And I love the fact that the federal government has, you know, gender equity, and that it's intentional. And I, you know, we talk a lot about Dei, particularly in my industry, in construction, in that everyone goes, you know, really, I hire the best person for the job, and I go, but if you look at statistically, what happens is, women will only apply for jobs if they possess and I think it's, I might have the incorrect stat, but 80% of the skill set that's actually on the job application. So similar to what you're saying is, if you approach a woman to say, you know, Here, take this position, you have to ask repeatedly, and sometimes that's taken as, you know, you ask the first time they go, you know, no, I don't think I can do it, or I can't balance it, and then they move on to the next person. So I say, you know, you don't always have the best person for the job. We really do have to look at, how do we get this inclusive environment? And I like the fact that you know, you went to the leader of our country to say, you know, this isn't working for me. It takes so much guts to be able to do that, to go. And when I talk to him, I go, what's the worst thing that can happen? Is you lose your job, that's really that's it. You're employable. Think about it. You'll go somewhere else. You're really good at what you do. But the chances are, whether you're the leader of the country or the leader of an organization, if you're adding value to that organization, they're going to find something for you. And I've talked to other women that have said they've gone in and said, You know what, I need to work. I need to do a four day work week because I need this extra day because I have young children, so I really think that's important, that we start to look at different ways that we can, we can be inclusive. Just recently to one, she's on a board, and we're trying to get more women involved on on some of these boards. And she was saying, one of the problems is, in the summer, they start their board meetings at nine o'clock. But you got to recognize, when you have young kids, they need to drop them off at a camp, you know, and you're either somebody's responsible for the doing the drop off and pick up. Can't we schedule a board meeting either at seven o'clock in the morning or at nine o'clock? Like, does it have to be right at eight? And I think the more we talk about just some of these little things that we can do to be a little bit more inclusive for women, I think that's how we're going to start to attract more women into all of our industries.

Minister Filomena Tassi  14:19  
I couldn't agree more. And you know what? You can't feel guilty about those things. It's we're balancing so much. You know, like you look at women's roles, we wear so many hats, right? Raising our children, caring for our parents, taking the kids to the medical appointments, doing the grocery shop, like we're juggling everything and we want to do it so well, there shouldn't be guilt in in in doing that, even though, for me, yes, it was a hard conversation. It was, but look what the Prime Minister's response was, and if he could respond that way, then of course we can set it. But you know what it is, is he recognizes the value in women, and it's not just that he's doing enough. Numbers by saying we need 50% he's also listening and making the changes that need to be made in order to accommodate and your seven o'clock, nine o'clock example is a perfect example. Why do we do it? Because we've always had the meaning at that time. Well, what's the consequence of changing it? There's there's little, there's nothing. So why not try and do those little tweaks in order to make it, you know, more accessible to women, because at the end of the day, and this is where you can't feel guilty as a woman, we're better off with your participation. We need you, we want you, and we're going to be better served with you serving. So Alicia, you're absolutely right. Like, was that conversation an easy one? No, did it take me a long time to figure out exactly what I was going to say and to get the courage to say it? Yeah, it took me time. But I think that what we have to realize is that that we can't have guilt for that, we can't feel bad for that, we can't be apologetic. These are our lives. The reason I'm in there is because my family is important to me, and I've had a partner who supported me all his life and elevated me. Is now it's time for me to be supportive of him. And so, you know, those conversations result from, I think, all the hats that we wear, and I think that there, there has to be an understanding and a spirit that accepts that. And in the Prime Minister's case, you know, I mean, he could have shuffled me out of cabinet. He didn't. He found a position for me that would allow me to continue to contribute. And I think that that example is an important one. And if the Prime Minister of Canada can do that, then that sets an example for all of us, doesn't it? And I don't think that women should feel guilty or they should feel bad about these things. We're not doing this. We want women to participate because they add so much that their contributions are so very important. A gender balanced cabinet isn't about ticking a box. It's about having a discussion where the Prime Minister listens equally to women as does to men, and setting priorities, because there's huge demands on what those priorities are, and when you have an equal number of women around the table, you can get things passed like child care at $10 a day, pay equity, paying people equally, paying women equally, for work of equal value of men. Can you believe that that we don't have and we got that across the finish line? I as Minister of Labor, it's so vitally important, you know? So I think it's just I don't want women to feel guilty. The message I have for women is we're way better served when you're there. And what we need to do is collectively, to work on changing the structures that exist in order to enable your participation and to highlight it and to encourage it, and to do what we can to foster women to be elevated and participating. And

Lisa Laronde  18:01  
I think you touched on something that's very important to me about, you know, we need to be heard as women. And I think that when you have more women in a boardroom or in an advisory board or just in a setting, I think we we hear each other, and I find and I think you and I talked about this briefly, about, you know, when I'm the only woman in a boardroom, and you know, sometimes I'll put my opinion forward, my voice is just not heard, and it's weird that it's because of my gender, it's not because of the ideas that I'm bringing forward or how forceful I'm talking about it. And so I think that the more women we have around the table, I think that our voices are going to be amplified.

Minister Filomena Tassi  18:36  
I agree 100% so I think of my own experience right in the practice of law. I remember being in the Registrar's Office University of Western walking down the hall, and I was looking at the graduation pictures on the wall, and the year that struck me was 1962 I remember that year because it was the year I was born. What was different about that graduating picture? There was one woman graduating from law school, yeah. And I looked at her, and I thought, Wow, what a trailblazer. Look at this. This is unbelievable. In an educational environment, all men, all props, all men going into a profession, all men. And she wasn't afraid. Well, I don't she took the step. Maybe she was, maybe she did have trepidation, normal, but she did it. And now look at where we are in the practice of law. My son just graduated from law school, over 50% woman haray, but the only way we get there is by taking the steps recognizing that the barriers that are in place, and doing what we can to make the changes necessary so that the participation of women is welcomed, valued, appreciated and encouraged. And

Lisa Laronde  19:46  
I think it's so important that that message is clear to people is you saw that woman in the picture. That's how forceful representation is. Because if you'd never seen her, you probably would have said, You know what? Law School's not available to me. There's. Only four men. So I think that that's just so important, and it's interesting. I met. She was actually on the podcast young lawyer Megha Casey. She's based out of Ottawa, and she tells a really cool story about lots of women in she went to Queen's University, lots of women in her school, lots of women in her law cohort, chose a practice that had lots of women partners, so felt very, very very inclusive, and didn't experience any of this discrimination. And that she gets her first case, and the guy says to her, you're my lawyer. No, I want a man. No one's going to take you seriously. So she goes, I just didn't know how to react, because I was like, What do you mean? I am a lawyer. But it was just funny. So I also said, you know, I think we also have to give this younger generation the tools to be able to deal with it, because they do get into the workforce. That's not inclusive. And I think it's important, which is part of why we tell our stories, is for them not to give up and to understand that there is a community behind them and that we will support. We have to continue to support women. Yeah,

Minister Filomena Tassi  20:53  
and listen the story you share did that in itself, shows progress. At least she got to the point where the client, I mean, when I started to practice, it would be like, I'd be on the phone speaking to a client, and they'd say, can you put the lawyer on the phone? Yeah, I'd say, I am the lawyer, like, you know, so there's progress can be made, and it has been made, which is fantastic, and I do think we have to take time to celebrate that progress, but we also have to have eyes wide open with respect to the challenges that are still there, and you're doing so much work of women in the trades. And I'll tell you one thing that I've heard with women in the trades. Yes, the federal government is putting through these programs and working with unions and others to like, you know, get women participation up. They are doing amazing work, their attention to detail, their dedication, their commitment, shining through. But if they're on the shop floor and they're getting passed by their co workers, we need to address that. And so, you know, I think that we have to understand that these challenges are there, but they can't stop us, because we know that when we face those challenges head on, that we are going to make progress, and that progress isn't just good for women, it's good for everyone, because women's participation is so vitally important. Speaking about women's participation, we know that the increase in participation from 25 to 54 years old has reached 85.7% that was a study from February. States is only 75% but also a study from 2017 shows that in Canada, if women were to achieve equal opportunities in the workplace, it could add up to $150 billion to Canada's GDP. So that's not only the fiscal reality. Also think of how the products that are made, the ideas that are brought to life, there's so much potential, and we want to continue to invest in women and encourage them to step up, and we will support them every step of the way, because it's the right thing to do, but it's also the smart thing to do.

Lisa Laronde  22:55  
Yeah, well, and they say if you have women on your executive, you're actually 20% more profitable than companies that do not have women on their executive So even from just a profitability point, my field is construction. So we're looking at, I think we have an 85,000 people shortage in 2030 what from attrition and retirement. So at some point, you know, we're going to this will be catastrophic if we don't attract more people into the construction industry. And women represent 50% of the population. Percent of the population, 5% in the skilled trades. So obviously, there's more that we can do. And one of the things I did look at was Alberta actually has a higher percentage. They're like a seven or 8% and I know BC is starting to look at that. So it would be nice if we could get Ontario, like, all of our, all of our, you know, all of our levels of government, our unions together, you know, some of our associations together to say, Okay, we understand that there's this issue or this problem that's coming up. What do we do as a cohesive group to be able to to change that? And it's not always money, you know, because sometimes, as you say, it's just opportunity, access to childcare. I know that that's a global problem just the hours that they operate. I mean, we don't have what all of those answers are. We were talking about, you know, having an advisory board between some of the unions, some of our associations, like Kwok, the Canadian Association of Women in construction, as well as the government and education, to say, okay, you know, what do we do now that we were training all these women to be in the skilled trades, but then they get in, and in our case, you know, we're working in live traffic, so you can't actually start late or leave early, like a lot of the trades can. And I hear that a lot for women, that they either delay having children or they, you know, they pick a skilled trade that actually works to have a little bit more flexibility. But I think together, we can actually figure that out. How do we solve this

Minister Filomena Tassi  24:44  
absolutely like, you know, we have to be vocal about what the challenges are, and then we can come up with solutions. And there's no question that we can come up with those solutions in the trades you, as you say, there's such a need right now. I remember a. Event that was hosted by build a dream, and I had like, 12 women around the table that were in different trades, right from framing to Brick Lane to mill right, like it was, and it was fantastic. But to set these women up for success, we do have to work together to make it easier child care. I mean, it's one of the things I've mentioned a number time on this podcast, but so very important, like, let's have childcare and let's have it so that there can be times that are staggered to accommodate women. That's not that hard to do. The Canada child benefit, so that it supports women that and encourage people to go to work with things like pay equity, so you're getting equal pay for work of equal value. It makes sense for women to go to work, we have to continue to work together to bring down those barriers. And often it's just challenging those barriers. Why do they exist? They generally don't make sense. And sometimes it's just a tweak that everybody is open to. The final thing I'll say on this is that, you know, we did put out a challenge. It was, I said, Innovation, Science and economic development that said, Listen, we want to put out a 5030 challenge to have 50% of boards occupied by women and 30% by underrepresented groups. And I think that's a great challenge for all of us to try and reach, because you're going to then have the participation there that's going to help make the contributions that are going to create a framework that makes it easier, not harder. We don't want when I'm saying for women, I want them to participate. I also want to be there with them every step of the way, so that it makes it easier for them to participate. I don't want them frustrated. I remember at one point in my life, I was working full time raising two kids and taking a Master's of religious at at University of St Mike's. And I'll tell you that balance was tough, and it was only because of my husband, who was there every step of the way with me. And by the way, men can be fantastic allies and partners, and we need them every step of the way. And I wouldn't be here today if it wasn't for men like my father and my husband, and so we can get the partnerships they want the best for us, that we are able to shine and our gifts are able to be demonstrated. And so Absolutely, we're in this together. We have to take a collaborative approach. It's a win, win, win. And as a federal government, I say that programs like the $6 billion in the Women Entrepreneurship strategy is one particularly that relates to my file, where I'm seeing the difference it's making, where women are getting the supports that they need, not because they need extra help, because they need a level playing field. Agreed

Lisa Laronde  27:36  
now, how do we get the message out to women that these programs are actually available to them. Look at.

Minister Filomena Tassi  27:44  
I mean, podcasts like this. Do it? We try on social. Really, it's important that women be a part of sharing the messages, because women will listen to other women. When I'm at those round tables, you can't believe the connections that form as a result of that. My daughter has a company high vibe women, and she shares with me stories about how bringing women together and having these conversations. So I think that that word of mouth on the ground saying, Listen, there are programs in my portfolio. We have a business scale up program where we can help businesses to take their business to the next level, to scale up, and we want to offer that support. So, you know, amplifying this, it's hard, I'd be honest as a politician, because a lot of people think, oh, self serving, it's just, but I want to just get the information out there so that women know of what supports are available to them, and men as well. Because there's amazing programs that are offered by the government, to elevate, to take, you know, people to the next level. We see potential. We see possibilities. One of the greatest strengths we have in this country is our people, and we want to empower people to take their gifts and talents to the next level. And that's the way that we shine, and we as a country, should be celebrating this and putting all of our money and encouragement behind people. So

Lisa Laronde  29:04  
why do you think Canada is ahead of having the employable women in the age group they were given 24 to 50 something that you said, Why do you think they're ahead of the United States?

Minister Filomena Tassi  29:15  
I think it's creating those programs that the government is doing that are encouraging women to get into the workforce, even if you look at judges now, now we have 54% of female judges. This just doesn't happen. You have to have the programs in place that are enabling women to get that start. And I don't want to make it political, but the opposition is voting against a number of these programs. So I think women have to have eyes wide open. Okay, what are we going to be supported in what supports are going to be taken away if, in fact, the government changes? But when we highlight the things like the gender balance, cabinet is critical, but things like pay equity, $10 a day, childcare, women on. Entrepreneurship Program, the employment Equity Act, where we're reviewing the act to ensure there's equality, with respect to promotions, with respect to women in executive leadership positions, all these initiatives that the government has undertaken that we get opposition to, it's not a slam dunk. Women have to be aware of these and do their homework in terms of knowing, as we move forward, what the future looks like. But the programs have to be in place if you have women that it's not affordable for them to go to work because the child care costs are so high. $10 a day child care, this is going to save families 1000s of dollars a year. You know, the candidate Child Benefit, all these programs, so I think it's what it looks like, and what programs are there to support, including things like the women entrepreneurship program to give women that fighting chance.

Lisa Laronde  30:52  
Now, do you think there'll ever be a chance that we would have, like, a 24 hour daycare so that people that are obviously in the trades or first responders that you know would need overnight childcare. Do you think that that's ever an option that will be available for us? I

Minister Filomena Tassi  31:09  
encourage women to advocate for that. Yeah. Why can't there ultimately be agree so. But you know what? Like, it's like childcare workers like what covid showed us? Yeah, more prominently, or evidently, is that the professions that women occupy are often those professions that the value of work is not acknowledged. Yeah. So you look at things like early learning and childcare, you look at nursing, you look at those that work with elderly. You look at PSWs, yeah, people that are doing such important work being with people at the end of their life, by their bedside, taking care of them. So at the employment equity only applies. We pass legislation that works at the federal level, right? So, equal pay for work of equal value? Yeah. So I think of my experience in the high school, you have the janitor, which is normally male dominated, and then you have the head secretary, who's normally female dominated. She's taking care of, you know, millions of dollars in money and budget, is she getting paid fairly for what she does? Do women get paid fairly? I say that they don't, which is why we need to shine the light on this, look at the value, appreciate the value, and then compensate for the work that's being done.

Lisa Laronde  32:34  
So the $10 day daycare is that across Canada.

Minister Filomena Tassi  32:38  
So the goal is $10 a day child care across Canada, right now we're at 50% some provinces are at the $10 but that is a commitment that we're getting to but right now we're all at 50% cut in daycare costs with the hope that we're going to get to the $10 a day in the next couple of years,

Lisa Laronde  32:56  
because then that, I think it causes like, another issue, which is what You're saying, like, equal pay for equal value work. So then, does it impact the wages of child care workers?

Minister Filomena Tassi  33:06  
This is where so it's the provinces that actually provide the service. So this is why we enter into agreements with the provinces. Part of those agreements are, listen, there has to be fair compensation for the workers, yeah. And so spaces becomes an issue. Like, do we have the people power in order to occupy those spaces? How do we get that power? So we want to work collaboratively with the provinces so that we get there, because we want to ensure that as people now, it's going to be there's going to be more demand, because it's going to be affordable, it's going to bring more women to work and men. There's some men that are looking after the kids and the women are working in the in homes. So the question is, you know, it's the collaborative part that is so vitally important, but I think that it has been so positive. I mean, I've spoken with so many families that say to me, Thanks, Phil, for getting that across. We wouldn't be able to do this. Some have even said we're going to have another child, because this enables us to do that. It makes it affordable. Yes, that's that's the level that we're at well, because,

Lisa Laronde  34:07  
like, for those people that are not making a lot of money, their net pay doesn't make any sense. They're just working to pay for childcare, and sometimes it doesn't work out. So exactly, yes, an awesome job. So we usually end our podcast with the same question as, what? What advice would you give your younger self?

Minister Filomena Tassi  34:25  
Okay, I love this question, because I'm 62 now, and I've learned a lot over the years. So here's my response to that, and some of it has come out in this discussion we have. And I want to thank you, Lisa for the opportunity really been an honor and a pleasure. First confidence. Have confidence in yourself and aim for the stars. You serve no one by shrinking. You serve everyone by believing in yourself and stepping up. Let's have that confidence. Yes, and the government is going to be there every step of the way to give you the confidence. And if you need more confidence, reach out. And I'll give you a pep talk on, on the confidence piece. Secondly is surround yourself with good people. This is really important. You know, especially I see, I worked in high schools. I saw the pressures of, you know, young people, with respect to popularity, with respect to power, with respect to money. No surround yourself with people that want to bring out the best in you, that want to make you shine, especially your partner that you're going to pick. The third is, don't be afraid of mistakes. You know mistakes are opportunities to become better and to become stronger. Yes, they hurt, they're hard, but take those mistakes and elevate yourself. Everybody makes mistakes, so don't feel bad about that. And finally, always be true to yourself when you bring out your best self, right? That means being true to yourself. You've got it. You can do it. Go for it. We believe in you. We want you. We want to elevate you, and we want to see the amazing contributions that you make in being your best self.

Lisa Laronde  36:17  
I love that. Philomena, thank you so so much for sharing your stories with us, and I think it's so important that you continue to inspire this younger generation, as well as the older generation, not only to pursue careers in politics, but to pursue leadership. I think what you said today is astounding. I'm a huge admirer of you. I'm not a big political person, but I can tell you I would vote for you any day of the week. Thank you so much. I really enjoyed it. We could have talked for an hour. I have a whole bunch of things I'd like to be able to talk about. So thank you.

Minister Filomena Tassi  36:48  
Thank you, Lisa, listen. I'd vote for you too. You want to put your name on ballot? Absolutely not. No.

Lisa Laronde  36:53  
I could not do what you do. 100% hands down, I could not.

Minister Filomena Tassi  36:58  
Thank you and your team. It's been a real pleasure,

Lisa Laronde  37:00  
awesome. Thank you so much. You can learn more about today's guest in the show notes and at the powerhouse project.com and if you know a woman in leadership or in the skilled trades that would like to be on the show, please reach out via voicemail or a message on the website. Follow and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts, and thank you so much for listening. You

Transcribed by https://otter.ai