In a very special episode, Ellected's host Sarah Elder sits down with Her Excellency Mary Simon, Canada's Governor General, on the 95th anniversary of Persons Day in Canada.

On October 18, 1929, Canada's highest court of appeal recognized women as 'persons' and granted them the right to be appointed to the Senate. The Governor General and Sarah discuss the day, the awards presented today in honour of Persons Day, what the day means to the Governor General, a discussion about where and what Canadian women must still accomplish as well as a frank conversation about the online abuse Her Excellency has received and how both she and Sarah deal with it. The episode ends with some advice from the Governor General for any woman considering public service.

To learn more about Governor General Mary Simon, please click here.

Her 19 year old sister Karina was taken hostage by Hamas on October 7th and Sasha and her family are desperate for her safe return along with every other hostage taken that day.

This episode isn’t about the explicit politics of Hamas and Israel. It’s about Karina texting her sister the morning of October 7th asking her sister to look after her parents because she knew she might die.

Hear from Sasha on what individual Canadians can do to ask our government to help get Karina released safely so she can be with her family once again after almost 10 months in captivity.

In episode 77 Sarah chats with Jenna Sudds, Canada’s Minister of Families, Children and Social Development and MP for Kanata—Carleton. Hear Minister Sudds on dental care nationally, how it’s not rolling out in Alberta, her take on not winning the by-election in Toronto-St.Pauls, the dilemmas all parents face of teenagers on social media and misinformation from a mom herself who also sits at the cabinet table and more.

More about Jenna Sudds:

The Honourable Jenna Sudds was first elected as the Member of Parliament for Kanata—Carleton in 2021. She has previously served as Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Women and Gender Equality and Youth.

Minister Sudds has worked as an economist, a municipal councillor, and a community advocate.

From 2018 to 2021, Minister Sudds served on the Ottawa City Council. During this time, she chaired the City’s Community and Protective Services Committee and held the role of Deputy Mayor starting in 2020. She also sat on the boards of Hydro Ottawa and Invest Ottawa. As city councillor, she worked to protect green spaces, improve local infrastructure and transit, and support the community’s economic recovery during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Before entering politics, Minister Sudds was the Executive Director of the CIO Strategy Council, a national technology forum, and the President and Executive Director of the Kanata North Business Association. She also worked as a senior economist for the Government of Canada for over 10 years, focusing her expertise on the taxation of multi-national corporations and tax avoidance.

Minister Sudds has been an active member of her community for many years, volunteering with the Kanata Food Cupboard and Ottawa Network for Education. She has received a Special Recognition Award from the Kanata Food Cupboard for her leadership and service to those in need in the community. She received a 40 under 40 Award from the Ottawa Business Journal and the Ottawa Chamber of Commerce in 2015, and was named one of Development Counsellors International’s Top 40 under 40 working in economic development in 2017.

Minister Sudds holds a Bachelor in Economics from Brock University and a Master of Arts in Economics from Carleton University. She is a long-time resident of Ottawa, where she lives with her husband and their three daughters.

This week I’m chatting with Wraychel Gilmore, a PhD candidate at the University of Toronto and advocate for children and youth about her research in engaging youth in political consultation. We chat about how youth come to be consulted, a real-world example with Canada’s Ambassador to the United Nations Bob Rae and the level of global interest in Wraychel’s work.

Learn more about Wraychel Gilmore:

Wraychel Gilmore has twenty-five years of experience in community development and strategic change. Her career spans across executive, non-profit, government, and consulting roles. Wraychel's ability to employ critical thinking and analytic skills, specifically in identifying legislative barriers and solutions in the political and systemic spheres, has been instrumental in enabling her clients and organizations to generate the social impact they aim for.

Throughout her impressive career, Wraychel has worked alongside colleagues across the globe, from Jamaica to Austria, advocating politically and building strengths in community programming. Her notable contributions include piloting programs for both the Ministry of Children and Youth Services and the Ministry of Training, Colleges, and Universities in Ontario. Wraychel has also served in a sworn oversight capacity for the independent Office of the Child and Youth Advocate for the Legislative Assembly of Prince Edward Island.

Wraychel's impact resonates profoundly in the realm of community development. She has overseen services and high-risk management for over 6000 youth in grass-roots programming and founded a private Montessori pre-K through secondary school. Within the public education system, Wraychel pioneered the first paid co-op program outside of the Armed Services in Canada. CBC’s Peter Mansbridge has recognized her innovative youth political engagement strategies, featuring them on his podcast, The Bridge.

In addition to her professional accomplishments, Wraychel is currently finishing her PhD dissertation with the University of Toronto in Adult Education and Community Development. Her original research on youth political consultations is being featured in 2024 at international conferences in Miami, Sweden, Greece, and in the USA at Cornell University. She holds a Master of Arts in Religion and Culture, and multiple post-secondary certifications in social work, board governance and organizational capacity building, having trained 60+ boards. Her academic pursuits underline her commitment to continuous learning and professional development, making her an invaluable social justice advocate, strategic planner and community builder.