Chris Coleman
Councillor
Victoria, British Columbia
– Mr. Coleman, could you please tell us a bit about yourself?
– I am from Canada. I was born in the Canadian Prairies and grew up in British Columbia. I am incredibly fortunate to have done all range of different things. When I first graduated from law school, I actually ran a not-for-profit society that worked with mentally disabled people. I used to run a maritime museum, to market the restaurant for sixteen years, to teach in the faculty of business. Also, I am a non-practicing lawyer. Most recently, I am an elected official.
I always had an interest in the work of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM), particularly in its international projects, because my older brother was involved in that so I am a legacy of his work.
– Mr. Coleman, you have tried so many different jobs because all this time you have been looking for your dream job?
– No, people just came and offered me jobs. I didn’t naturally apply for most of them. Even being here now: Pam McConnell (a city councillor in Toronto) was sick, so they asked me to come here. I had 5 days to turn it around and my wife said, “I think you should go”.
– What is your educational background?
– I have three degrees – in Urban Planning, in Geography, a Law Degree, and a Master’s in Business Administration. I have also a certificate in Restaurant Management. I used to teach Business Law at a university, Marketing in college and rugby in high school.
– Tell us about your involvement in a Standing Committee on Increasing Women’s Participation in Municipal Government.
– When I was in a law school 36 years ago, I had two great teachers. One taught me evidence and she went on to become the first female dean of a law school in Canada. The other teacher taught me criminal law and she came on to be the first female chief at the Supreme Court of Justice in Canada. In 1980, those were unimaginable changes. When I worked in the restaurant industry, my boss was a female. She was a brilliant leader, but people thought she was an assistant manager…..because she was a woman! My parents were of gender equity perspective. We talked about those things. And my brother, who used to be FCM president, actually brought in the very first standing committee on increasing women’s participation in local politics. So I just followed the family tradition. It shouldn’t be something we have to discuss; but we have to keep on trying to improve the situation. Because it is not equitable and fair at the moment.
Canada ranks 55th in the world in terms of involvement of women in the federal government. But we are improving. Our new prime minister made sure that his cabinet was 50 per cent women and 50 per cent men. And when the press challenged him and asked why you did this, his response was, “Because it is 2015”. And that is an enormous mindset from 2000.
– Your prime minister, Justin Trudeau calls himself a feminist.
– I think the nature of this word has changed. Feminism now, in the way Justin Trudeau used it, means equal opportunities for people of either sex. Earlier, feminism meant something different – more aggressive, more radical, and more willing to fight. Now there are these strong convictions – let’s work together as this is a good thing. We are seeing Hilary Clinton is, perhaps, going to be the first female president. She is the first female nominee of a major party in US history. It was unimaginable 25 years ago. We are moving in the right direction. We just need to make sure that people who oppose change, have somebody to say to them, “no your perspective is not held by everybody”.
– Are Canadian men comfortable with their women becoming more socially and politically active?
The majority are. There will be always some who aren’t comfortable with that change. Maybe, because they feel threatened. But there are others who say, “Yeah … it is 2015”.
– Mr. Coleman, is it your first travel to Ukraine?
– Yes. I have been many times to Europe, but not to Eastern Europe. I find Ukraine a fascinating country. You are going through lots of tough issues. And yet you are dealing with them in a very upfront way. It doesn’t make everybody happy. People here want to make Ukraine a better place. Not for them, but for the next generation.
I participated in LED Day and in the Section On Equal Rights and Opportunities for Women and Men of the Association of Ukrainian Cities. LED is an area that is important wherever you go. It is important for every community because it is about allowing the next generations to grow up, have sustainable, household supporting, jobs. It is making sure that a community stays healthy.
– Are people in Canada following current developments in Ukraine?
– Certainly, Ukraine was on the front of the newspapers. Not so much now. But people of Ukrainian heritage certainly do follow. It is true to most countries; you tend to follow everts as they come up. Sports was one of the lenses we used to understand countries. But there is a whole range of other lenses too. Politics, for example.
Canada has a population of 36 million people. 1.6 million of our citizens have Ukrainian heritage. Personally, I have historic family ties from Europe & India.
– Are Canadians aware that Canada allocates a lot of money to support reforms in Ukraine?
– Broadly, no. But people who are involved, certainly do. FCM is good at sharing that knowledge with Canadians of Ukrainian heritage. But we should do more explaining to the rest of Canada. There just was a big event in Toronto the other day (Ukraine-Canada Business Forum). People were aware. It was on the news. Though I don’t know if they understand the depth, what we are trying to assist with.