When my family arrived in Canada in the 1960s, so full of hope, segregation was still a reality south of the border, and Martin Luther King had not yet shared his dream with the world at the March on Washington. My mother could not have imagined then that her daughter would one day be elected to lead a federal party. I hope that my victory as the first Black person and Jewish woman to lead a major political party will inspire a new generation of leaders. Because the truth is, we still lack diversity in Canada’s senior public and private leadership. As The Rosenzweig Report details, less than 10 per cent of the top executives at our largest corporations are women. It is a waste of intellectual capital Canada can ill-afford as we tackle the challenges and embrace the opportunities before us. And so, the work towards achieving true diversity must continue in earnest.

–	Annamie Paul, lawyer, activist, and leader of the Green Party of Canada