The YWCA Metro Vancouver Women of Distinction Awards is thrilled to announce the Right Honourable Kim Campbell as the recipient of the 2018 Icon Award. Selected internally by the YWCA, the Icon Award recognizes an extraordinary woman for her achievements throughout her lifetime.
As a leader, role-model and mentor, the Icon Award recipient has made a significant and sustained difference over the span of her lifetime in the community on a local, provincial and/or national level. She demonstrates a track record of excellence and is an inspiration to others in her field. She enriches our community through the positive impact of her contributions, as demonstrated by her work in one or more Women of Distinction Awards categories. She encapsulates the spirit of women’s equality and her actions exemplify resilience, passion, determination, honour, loyalty, kindness, grace and generosity of spirit.
When it comes to blazing the trail for women, the Right Honourable Kim Campbell's career includes many milestones. Ms. Campbell served as Canada's first female Prime Minister in 1993, was the first woman to hold the Canadian Justice and Defence portfolios and the first female Minister of Defence of a NATO country. She has also held cabinet portfolios as Minister of State for Indian Affairs and Northern Development, Minister of Justice and Attorney General, Minister of National Defence and Minister of Veterans’ Affairs. Ms. Campbell has served as as Canadian Counsul General in Los Angeles, lectured at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, chaired the Council of Women Leaders, served as President of the International Women's Forum and was a founding member, Interim President, Vice President and Secretary General of Club Madrid.
Today, Ms. Campbell continues to advocate for gender equality as an Advisory Board Member of Equal Voice, an multi-partisan organization dedicated to electing more women in Canadian politics. She also dedicates her time to the University of Alberta's Peter Lougheed Leadership College as their Founding Principal and is a trustee of King's College London's International Centre of the Study of Radicalisation and Political Violence (ICSR). Ms. Campbell continues to be engaged in critical issues through her work with organizations such as Informed Opinions, Apathy is Boring, Climate Action Reserve, Pacific Council on International Policy and Athenex.
