Gender equality cannot be achieved without men

Trinidad-born Canadian MP Dr Hedy Fry said gender equality cannot be achieved without men.

She was speaking on Thursday at the Celebrating Solidarity: Coffee and Conversation International Women's Day 2018 hosted by women's group umbrella association InterClub and the High Commission of Canada, and held at the residence of High Commissioner of Canada to Trinidad and Tobago Carla Hogan Rufelds at The Renaissance at Shorelands, Glencoe. The event also saw the launch of the campaign #CaribbeanMenCan which featured local men of influence providing statements on video expressing solidarity with women's empowerment.

Fry in her remarks said she was happy to see men standing and speaking out.

"We need them. We cannot achieve gender equality without men."

Fry recalled she grew up in San Fernando and it was her father's encouragement that led to her being where she is now.

On women's empowerment Fry said nothing can happen without political will at the very top and noted that Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has ensured 50 per cent of his parliament and cabinet were women and the 2018 federal budget was a "gender budget" with every department doing gender analysis.

She stressed that women account for 50 per cent of the population and if the whole nation is not using all its resources then the country will fall behind in terms of economic success and competitiveness.

"(We need) women and men as partners."