by Morinville Online Staff
A UCP essay contest for young women, launched in February of this year, exploded into controversy Tuesday when it was learned that the third-place winner’s entry contained sexist and misogynistic language.
The Her Vision Inspires essay contest, open to women aged 17-25, invited women to identify in the essays specifically what they would do if they were a Member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta. The contest was a partnership between the Legislative Assembly of Alberta and the Commonwealth Women Parliamentarians Canadian Region.
Alberta NDP Children’s Services Critic Rakhi Pancholi was quick to offer criticism, calling the selected entry reprehensible.
“The bronze-medal-winning essay chosen by the UCP contains comments that are misogynistic, sexist, transphobic, racist, and fascist. Much of the language used within the essay is reprehensible and sends a terrible message to the young women of this province.
Pancholi said that Alberta women are “working tirelessly to break through barriers in a society where sexism is prevalent” and continues to keep them from achieving financial, physical and psychological security.
“When we encourage women to participate in traditionally male-dominated industries, it leads to better outcomes, representation and diversity in governance and leadership in all sectors, including politics,” Pancholi said, adding the essay contest was another example of the UCP’s consistent failure to support women.
In addition to advocating that Alberta women support the province best by having two children, it also makes statements disapproving of women in traditionally male-dominated professions.
“To try to promote that women break into careers that men traditionally dominate is not only misguided, but it is harmful,” one line of the third-place winning essay reads.
The controversial essay carried with it a $200 prize. The third-place winner was awarded by Fort Saskatchewan-Vegreville MLA and Associate Minister of Status of Women Jackie Armstrong-Homeniuk, who later removed the award and offered an apology for it having been chosen.
Below is a link to our original February article on the essay competition.
Legislative Assembly launches Her Vision Inspires writing contest
Once again wokesters attack free speech & thought and the majority of media reports with all bias and no balance. Diversity of lifestyle, thought and expression are now viscously attacked by the same group who, only a few years ago, demanded these things for themselves. The “tolerant left” chooses character assassination, name calling, and demands for firings and resignations over consideration, discussion, and rational disagreement. They embark on modern-day witch hunts and public executions. When did traditional roles/values become so radical to merits vitriolic rants. If you read the essay without attaching your own narrative, it is none of what’s being claimed. People need to stop screaming racism, sexism, misogyny for every differing opinion – this only diminishes the meaning of these words paramount to “The Boy Who Cried Wolf”. This virtue-signaling single-minded radical left can’t seem to intelligently discuss anything they don’t agree or approve of they only know to oppress, intimidate, and threaten which only demonstrates their closed-minded divisive, intolerant, fascist nature