Ambika Varma Women in Security

#16DaysOfActivism Interview Series: The Honourable Catherine McKenna

 

The NATO Association of Canada is proud to be a part of the ‘16 Days Against Gender Based Violence’ Campaign. For the campaign, the NATO Association of Canada has compiled an interview series with women doing great work in Canada to showcase why it is important to fight against gender-based violence.

 

The Honourable Catherine McKenna is a Member of Parliament for Ottawa Centre and was appointed Minister of Environment and Climate Change on November 4, 2015. Prior to that, she practiced competition and international trade law in both Canada and Indonesia. She was the senior negotiator with the United Nations Peacekeeping Mission in East Timor and she co-founded Canadian Lawyers Abroad, a charitable organization that works in developing countries and with First Nations communities in Canada. Minister McKenna has taught at the Munk School of Global Affairs and has also served as Executive Director of the Banff Forum, a public policy organization for young leaders. She is a mother of three children and lives in Ottawa with her husband. Minister McKenna has worked on a number of climate change reforms, including the ratification of the Kigali Amendment, as part of the Montreal Protocol. She is an inspiration to a number of young women because of her tenacity to fight for what she believes in, despite the roadblocks she has faced. She continues to encourage youth and women to fight climate change and strives for a better Canada!

 

Learn more about Honourable Catherine McKenna:

 

Interview conducted by: Ambika Varma

 


Disclaimer: Any views or opinions expressed in articles are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the NATO Association of Canada.

Ambika Varma
Ambika Varma is a Program Editor for Women and Security. She is a York University graduate with a degree in the biomedical sciences. Ambika has worked as a translator for various UN organizations and as a Compliance Analyst for the G7 Research Group at the University of Toronto. She is highly interested in global health security protocols, the impact of biological weaponry, and the impact of disease on security issues. As an intern for the NAOC, Ambika hopes to engage with important security issues and gain a deeper understanding of the various actors at play. Ambika loves art and literature, and plays the violin!
http://natoassociation.ca/about-us/ambika-varma/