Christy Clark temporarily broke from political tradition when she openly supported a bill introduced by the opposition.
The bill, introduced by the Greens, hopes to set clear guidelines for sexual assault and misconduct at all public post-secondary institutions – a relatively hot topic as of late in B.C.
In an article in the Vancouver Sun, Christy Clark explained why.
“As I sat in my chair on the floor of the legislature, it struck me: I knew all too well why women stay silent. For over 35 years, I’ve been one of them.” Clark wrote.
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The Premier of British Columbia revealed that she was spied on, groped on, and even once had a close encounter when she was a young teen living in Burnaby.
“It was a sunny day, and I was walking to work at my first job. A man suddenly jumped out, grabbed me and pulled me out of sight into a deep copse of shrubs. He didn’t say anything. I don’t even remember what he looked like.”
Clark managed to get away, but has kept the encounter a secret for 38 years.
“I want women who have never said anything about sexual violence in their lives to know they are not alone,”
“I’m not speaking out for sympathy; I don’t need it. I am speaking out because as Premier of British Columbia and B.C.’s first elected female premier, I am privileged to have a public platform.” Clark adds.
When the new bill comes in place, post-secondary institutions will have to set clear guidelines on how officials will respond to and address incidents and complaints of sexual violence involving students.
Image via Province of British Columbia
