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Audrey McLaughlin was well known in the Yukon long before she became known throughout Canada as the leader of the New Democratic Party (NDP), the first woman to head a federal political party in this country.
When Audrey first came to the Yukon in 1979, she was impressed with the spirit of women here and the diversity of their work and ambitions. "I'm not sure that in the Yukon there are any non-traditional jobs," she says. "I know women who have been truck drivers, miners, diamond drillers, doctors, lawyers, housewives, and politicians as well. They're all traditional jobs!"
When Audrey decided to run for politics, many people told her that was a nice ambition but they didn't hold out much hope for her in "tough guy country." No one thought Yukoners would ever elect a woman.
Audrey points out, however, that the second woman ever to sit in the House of Commons--Martha Louise Black--came from the Yukon. There have been women mayors, a woman commissioner, and women in all levels of politics over the generations. The problem is, women have generally been written out of history.
People forgot the Martha Louise Blacks of this world," says Audrey.
Drawing on her own resourcefulness, Audrey didn't overlook the example of other women before her and she began her own fight against the general perception that women couldn't win in politics, regardless of their qualifications.
Audrey also had a number of friends and acquaintances who stood firm in their desire to have a woman MP. This, in the first instance, is why Audrey decided to run. A number of women came to her and said they would support her. That was in 1987 when Audrey had just returned from a six month stint with...