In recognition of her accomplished career as a journalist, Carol Off, author, commentator and host of CBC’s As It Happens, was awarded an honorary Doctor of Laws, honoris causa (LLD), at the Wednesday morning session of Western’s 309th Convocation.
Off spoke to Business Management and Organizational Studies and Accounting graduates from the Faculty of Social Science, lamenting the lack of equal pay, equal rights and equal opportunity for women and marginalized groups in today’s workforce.
“Forty years ago, I imagined we would be further along as a civil society. I presumed that by 2017, we would be living in a world of equal opportunities for women. It seemed so natural, so logical, so overdue,” she said.
“We have failed your generation. We thought pushing for those rights was finished and presumed progress was on course. We didn’t do enough to ensure you would be treated as equal members of society. It is up to you to push the boundaries, knock down barriers. For yourselves and for others. As you climb the ladder of success, look behind you, offer your hand, use your voice. Demand a place for yourself but also others. Insist on a society that recognizes the talents of everyone.”