Toronto Centre celebrated International Women’s Day with several of its politicians speaking on the need for increased representation and equity for women. 

Throughout the day, Toronto politicians including MP Marci Ien, MPP Kristyn Wong-Tam and Deputy Mayor Jennifer McKelvie offered statements at various locations across the city, including high schools, community centres and the Ontario House of Commons. 

Ien spoke about the IWD2023 hashtag campaign online to help share stories about inspirational girls and women. 

"To celebrate #IWD2023, we partnered with Build a Dream to welcome a room full of young leaders from all across southern Ontario who are working to inspire the next generation to take the torch and keep moving forward towards equity," Ien tweeted. 

Wong-Tam spoke in the Ontario House of Commons calling on the government to introduce pay equity and protections against abuse for women. This includes repealing Bill 124 that brought in wage freezes for several sectors like healthcare and teaching. 

"I don’t know why Ford is refusing to listen to advocates for women’s safety and justice," Wong-Tam said. "The Ontario NDP are listening, and we will continue to bring forward common-sense solutions to make Ontario a safer and more equitable place for women and gender-diverse people.”

Deputy Mayor Jennifer McKelvie offered a statement calling on more representation for women and gender diverse individuals in the city. 

"Today is International Women's Day in which we recognize the inspiring and trailblazing achievements of women – both past and present," McKelvie said in her address to the city. "But it's also far more than that: it’s a day to recommit ourselves to taking action and making further progress for equity."

The first International Women's Day was in 1911, and first observed by Germany, Switzerland, Austria and Denmark.

Listen to CJRU's coverage of International Women's Day in Toronto Centre: