A diverse group of young people gathered in the Senate of Canada to discuss a more inclusive future with senators and celebrate the International Day of the Girl.
The Girl2Leader conference, held annually in at least seven countries, is supported by the campaign founded by the Women Political Leaders Global Forum to inspire girls’ participation in politics and leadership.
Senator Kim Pate has hosted the event at the Senate since the campaign’s inception eight years ago.
Students from local high schools voiced generational fears and sought advice from the senatorial women before them.
Cynicism about climate change was described as the most pressing anxiety among attendees.
Speakers encouraged those feeling uncertain about the world’s direction to channel that energy into activism, urging youth to find comfort through action.
While climate change remains a major stressor for young people, research—including an April 2025 study in Current Opinion in Psychology—shows activism can ease feelings of helplessness tied to global crises.
Senator Pate said she was most impressed by the thoughtful questions she and other speakers received.
Grade 11 student Sophia Romani spoke with Senator Marilou McPhedran, moved by a story she shared about Rohingya girls in Bangladesh.
Romani emphasized the importance of women’s representation in political spaces.
“Canada is a very progressive country, but we really don’t have the opportunity to make space and improve conditions for women in other countries,” she said. “Canada is at the point where politicians have the power to recognize issues both here and internationally.”
One attendee asked how to address systemic problems rather than focus on individual change and how to reform systems not built for them.
“Do not give up hope. Authoritarian power wants you to lose hope so that you remain silent,” said Senator Flordeliz (Gigi) Osler. “The way to counter that is to work in coalition.”
The theme of collective action and solidarity ran throughout the day’s discussions.
The conference highlighted the Lead Like a Girl program, founded by Developing Young Leaders of Tomorrow Today, which supports Black girls’ experiences in leadership and diplomacy.
Participants filled a quarter of the Senate seats, with some having attended every year since the conference’s inception.
Program leader Natisha Archer spoke about how leadership develops through mentorship and community work, sharing experiences from a mission trip to Barbados, where participants met with youth, government officials and community leaders.
Several trailblazers shared stories of breaking new ground as minorities in their professions.
Senator Osler, the first woman of colour elected president of the Canadian Medical Association, reflected on what it means to understand power.
“I don’t mean understanding power in terms of who’s the strongest or the best,” she said. “Look to see who the decision-makers are. How are they using power? How are they wielding it? Are they using it in a fair, equitable and just way?”
The first female mayor of Cornwall—and the first Black female mayor in Ontario—shared a personal story about crying in front of a constituent.
“Sometimes mayors and leaders cry, because you have to and you have emotion,” said Senator Bernadette Clement. “You want to lead with that emotion too, because emotion isn’t a bad thing. But you have to stay healthy. You have to dance.”
True to her words, Senator Clement made sure there was dancing in the Senate that day, as she, Senator Rosa Galvez and Senator McPhedran led the group around the clerks’ table in the centre of the chamber.
Attendees also spoke directly with Senators Pate, Clement, Osler, McPhedran and Katherine Hay at the conference’s end. Senator Galvez and Algonquin Anishinaabeg Nation Tribal Council elected women’s representative Shirley Tolley participated earlier in the day before departing.
As the event concluded, senators and students left with a shared message: hope is not naïve—it’s an act of leadership.