It took moving to Winnipeg and starting classes at the University of Manitoba for me to connect with more people on the rainbow spectrum, and many more years to build up my own queer community. I attended my first Pride Winnipeg around 2009 with my gay best friend, a guy I’d gotten to know by hanging out in rehearsal halls and putting on plays with UM’s Black Hole Theatre. I remember being blown away by how many people were marching in the parade. Where do they hide the other 11 months of the year? Still today, one of my favourite things about Pride is seeing the incredible diversity of queer communities on display.

Teri with partner Lauren.

According to Pride Winnipeg, at this city’s first march in 1987, a few people “wore paper bags over their heads to conceal their identities for fear of discrimination and ridicule from friends, family members, and co-workers.” I’ve never had to go to those lengths to hide my queer identity, but during those years when I was trying to figure it all out, I wasn’t exactly an open book either. I was open with my friends. Eventually I was open with my immediate family. Beyond that, my stance was, why do I need to be? Heterosexual people don’t go around declaring they’re straight.

I adopted the philosophy perfectly expressed by a character on the television show Orphan Black: “My sexuality is not the most interesting thing about me.” While this is still true, I also think my shyness around that part of myself goes back to the invisibility of queer people, culture and experience in my youth. When 2SLGBTQI+ people are only spoken about in whispers, and you don’t see anyone like you in your community or on TV, you internalize that it’s safer to stay quiet.

My philosophy radically changed in 2016. By that point, I’d been working at a community health centre for several years. I’d met many people—mostly gay men of a certain age— who had survived the AIDS crisis and had watched their queer community die around them. I was surrounded by coworkers and friends who embraced me for who I was, and I felt comfortable with myself.

On June 12 that year, a man walked into Pulse, a gay nightclub in Orlando, and started shooting, killing 49 people and wounding 53. Though there is some debate over whether the shooting was motivated by anti-2SLGBTQI+ hate, the incident remains the deadliest act of violence against queer people in the United States. The next morning, as I processed the news over a steaming cup of coffee, I thought about all the queer lives that had been lost in a single night and I decided I didn’t want to stay quiet anymore. It’s an incredible gift to be alive and live in a country where being who you are isn’t a crime. This hasn’t always been the case— same sex acts were criminalized in Canada until Pierre Trudeau announced “there’s no place for the state in the bedrooms of the nation” in 1969— but on that day in June 2016, I felt like I should use my privilege to be visible on behalf of those who weren’t so lucky.

Contrary to popular narratives, “coming out” doesn’t just happen once. You show and tell people who you are in many small moments over a lifetime. Along the way, there have been some more significant moments that stick out: in 2018, I walked in Winnipeg’s Pride parade holding hands with my female partner for the first time. I was overcome with feeling: of pride, of love, of a sense of belonging. During this time when we haven’t been able to gather as a community, I hold onto that feeling. I choose to be visibly queer. In the absence of a formal pride celebration this year, I encourage other queer people to join me. Be the role model someone else needs to see.

Teri Stevens (she/her) [BA/05] is a communications officer with UM’s Marketing Communications Office. She also hosts the radio show Venus Envy on UMFM, featuring music by female, gender diverse and queer artists. She lives in Winnipeg with her partner, three cats and a dog.

Daughters of the Vote is a program by Equal Voice that began in 2017 to mark the 100^th anniversary of some women obtaining the right to vote in Canada. In 2021, the event was moved online due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In a typical year, 338 delegates (one from each federal riding in Canada) are selected to participate in this political summit in Ottawa, which this year included myself as well as three University of Manitoba students. As the delegate representing Winnipeg North, I had the opportunity to give a statement in the House of Commons, something that only 35 delegates were selected for.

In my statement I discussed the under-representation of Indigenous women in the House of Commons, and how Indigenous women are more often discussed as statistics of colonial violence than for our successes. We truly need Canadians to recognize the significance of the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG) movement, and how the Calls for Justice are not being acknowledged by politicians.

It is also clear that Indigenous women need a seat at the table when nothing is changing without our voices in these settler colonial institutions. I believe that the most effective way to address the inclusion of Indigenous women as legal and political professionals in a dominant-male ideology, is to invite Indigenous women to join these movements and fields without creating an environment of tokenism.

Tokenism needs to be avoided, because it puts significant social pressure on Indigenous women to be “that diverse woman.” Instead, we should be making sure that there are multiple Indigenous women included in the political and legal fields, so they do not feel the effects of imposter syndrome while representing the “underdog’s voice” in this society. By giving Indigenous women the means to participate in this narrative, it is encouraging for others because they see someone using their voice to represent Indigenous women —  and also invites them to become more involved and represent the community.

This is how I decided to get involved in politics. I remember taking “Introduction to Canadian Government” for my minor in political studies at UM and learning about party politics, and the clear tokenism of Jody Wilson-Raybould. It was in this class that I knew I wanted to be involved in law or politics, because I wanted to see a Canada where the voices of Indigenous women are heard and acknowledged not as tokens but as equals and respected politicians and judges.

So, I am calling on Indigenous women to run for government — whether it is student government, Indigenous governments, municipal, provincial or federal governments. I want to see the representation, and I want Indigenous people to be common in these roles instead of tokens. I also want Indigenous students to know that they should not be afraid to speak out on important issues in their communities ­— their voices matter.

Throughout Daughters of the Vote, I aimed to represent my riding and province by speaking about Indigenous representation, tokenism within settler colonial institutions, and with my fellow delegates, the issue of MMWIG. I want these issues to get traction, and I want them to change.

Julia Hutlet [BA/20] is proudly Métis from St. Andrews and Letalier, Manitoba. While at UM, she developed essential leadership skills from the Indigenous Circle of Empowerment (ICE) program which she used to serve as a Manitoba 150 Youth Ambassador, bringing awareness to the Manitoba Métis community and the importance of the Red River Settlement, on the 150^th anniversary of Manitoba joining Confederation. She is now pursuing a law degree at the University of British Columbia’s Peter A. Allard School of Law.

Academic courses taught us fundamental theories and their application, but with an ever-changing business environment and the increased interconnectedness of the global economy, being agile and adaptable in different environments is key. I thought about the big picture and how I could experience this first-hand.

Travelling abroad: A bridge to new learning

When I was introduced to the Asper Exchange Program at the Asper School of Business I thought this could be the opportunity I needed. I enjoy travelling and have always been drawn to the thought of living abroad. Upon learning about the exchange program, I immediately focused on incorporating it into my studies and was able to complete two exchanges: Leeds University Business School in the United Kingdom and WHU – Otto Beisheim School of Management in Vallender, Germany. Both universities provided experiences that were challenging and inspiring, and in addition to my numerous personal accomplishments I was able to expand on my business and economics studies.

Broadening horizons, personally and academically

These exchange opportunities allowed me to achieve three core objectives: a willingness to take risks by moving abroad, an expanded learning horizon by being placed in a challenging academic environment, and stretching my personal comfort zone. International learning propelled my understanding and acceptance of diverse cultural perspectives and expanded my awareness of alternative approaches to learning. It also contributed to my own personal development and heightened confidence that extends into the workplace. Finally, my international exchange experiences allowed me to break out of my comfort zone and learn more about who I am as an individual. I gained independence through living and travelling alone, which I believe to be highly valuable in early adulthood.

In addition to the academic and professional benefits of the program, a highlight of my experience continues to be the people I met, places traveled, and the friendships formed that will forever be cherished. Whether studying in Europe or Asia, within a couple of hours you can seemingly arrive in a vastly different culture, which is an exciting prospect. While studying in Europe I was able to travel to nine countries, which is in addition to the many day trips spent exploring local towns and villages. Additionally, I was involved in various student groups to expand on my personal and professional interests – to this day I remain connected and currently represent Leeds University Business School as their alumni group coordinator for Canada.

Three years’ post-graduation, it is clear that I accomplished far more in my undergraduate studies than my initial objective. The decision to move abroad to gain experience in an international setting was fundamental in my undergraduate degree. It was the best decision I made, and is an opportunity I would recommend each student to consider. Having the chance to live abroad opens your eyes to new languages, cultures and ways of living that impacts the way you view the world. It truly is a life-changing experience and I believe the benefits of the program will follow throughout one’s career and life.

Cody Hayden [BComm(Hons)/16] is an Associate with the National Client Group of RBC Royal Bank, supporting a team of senior relationship managers dedicated to delivering a complete range of complex financial solutions to mid-market Canadian-headquartered companies and subsidiaries of foreign multinationals in Canada. Since his student days in Europe, he continues to be an avid traveler having visited 19 countries with planned trips to Iceland and the United Kingdom.

You can make life-changing international exchange opportunities – like the ones Cody participated in – available to more students at the Asper School of Business through a gift to the Hartley T. Richardson Student Support Fund. Learn more about the fund and how you can make a contribution.

The MFO was created in 1982 to supervise adherence to the protocols of the 1979 Egypt–Israel Peace Treaty, which marks its 40^th anniversary today. The result has been nearly four decades of unprecedented peace between two nations that have long been at each other’s throats. Much of this success is due to the MFO who facilitates dialogue between the treaty partners and conducts missions to observe, verify and report on potential violations of the protocols of the Treaty.

Lt.-Col. David W. Grebstad [BA/96] in Egypt.

The MFO is an independent joint, multinational, military-civilian peacekeeping force. It does not fall under a UN mandate, therefore instead of working under the blue banner of the UN, it flies the orange flag of the MFO; instead of sporting the well-known robin’s-egg blue helmet of UN Peacekeepers, its members wear a terra cotta-coloured beret. It consists of a 1400-strong military component drawn from 12 troop contributing nations. The Canadian contingent, named Task Force El Gorah consists of 65 Canadian Armed Forces personnel from all military environments and a broad spectrum of trades.

Canadian personnel coordinate air traffic, plan and execute force training, facilitate dialogue between treaty partners, provide military police duties and a myriad of other duties within the Force. Canada has been a consistent troop-contributor to the MFO since 1985, and Canadian members routinely fill influential positions in the Force, even commanding it from time to time. At present, Canadian officers fill important positions such as the Chief of Liaison, the Provost Marshall, the Force Information Management Officer, and the Chief of Training.

The MFO is something of an anachronism. Classic peacekeeping operations, wherein two nations have agreed to a peace that’s monitored by an intervening peacekeeping force, is what Canadian Prime Minister Lester B. Pearson envisioned when he proposed the use of soldiers as peacekeepers in 1956. However, as Minister of National Defence Harjit Sajjan remarked in 2016, such missions are no longer the norm. Modern peace support operations usually stabilize failed and failing states and work through intra-national rather than international conflict. The MFO is a long-standing and very successful peacekeeping mission in the Pearsonian mould, but the world has changed around it, making its operating environment extremely challenging.

In the wake of the 2011 Egyptian Crisis, some of the disaffected populace in northern Sinai took arms against the Egyptian government resulting in a violent insurgency that continues to this day. The situation worsened in 2014 when the insurgents swore allegiance to the so-called Islamic State of Iraq and Syria terrorist organization, rebranding themselves Wilayat Sinai – the Province of Sinai within the so-called Islamic State.

Thus, we find doves among wolves. For the last four years the Egyptian Armed Forces have been waging a counterinsurgency fight against Wilayat Sinai, and often the MFO finds itself caught in between, although never directly targeted to date. As peacekeepers, the MFO maintains its impartiality; however, impartiality doesn’t stop stray bullets or artillery rounds.

Sadly, the insurgency has taken its toll. In September 2015, six MFO members were injured when their vehicle struck an improvised explosive device (IED) emplaced by insurgents to target Egyptian forces. More recently, a rocket attack targeting an Egyptian Army battle position overshot and landed only 250 meters from the perimeter of one of the Force’s encampments. Fortunately, no injuries or damage resulted.

The persistent IED threat has impacted the Force’s freedom of movement, which is a critical requirement to monitor treaty protocols. This has been mitigated by using armoured vehicles, replacing human observation posts with remote camera sites, and conducting movement by air, rather than ground. In the end, the greatest asset to the Force is its people, and notwithstanding these challenges, the men and women of the MFO continue to execute their duties with grit, determination and professionalism.

This is my first peacekeeping assignment. My first overseas deployment was in 2002 to conduct combat operations against Taliban and Al Qaeda in Afghanistan. Peacekeeping in the Sinai is a fundamentally different mission, but equally complex. There is no enemy and problems cannot be solved with military action – only through dialogue, trust and patience. This has required mental flexibility to adapt to: something to which Canadian Forces members have proven proficient.

As I write this, the tourist economy of Sharm El Sheikh is booming. Tourists flock from Europe, Metropolitan Egypt and Russia to enjoy the ample beaches, plentiful resorts and local culture. Local inhabitants are employed, and infrastructure is constantly improving. None of this would be possible without the enduring peace the 1979 Treaty provides, and which the MFO ensures daily.

Canadians can be rightly proud of the tremendous work their soldiers, sailors and air force personnel are doing under very trying circumstances. The peacekeeping operation in the Sinai region of Egypt is both an anachronism and an anomaly, but most of all, it is successful.

Lieutenant-Colonel David Grebstad [BA/96] is currently deployed to the Sinai region with the MFO. He fills the roles of Chief of Combined and Joint Training for the Force, and Deputy Commander of the Canadian Contingent – Task Force El Gorah.

Admittedly, it is hard for me to accept that leadership does not need to be defined in the grandest of forms by being the “first black… (insert profession)”. Social media and popular culture have conditioned us to think that if we are not the first or best at something, then it is hardly news.

My rollercoaster involves me transitioning from thinking my contributions are enough by doing my best in my personal/professional life and show up to community events. My guilt kicks in when I encounter recently immigrated young black people who are trying to find their way. This is always followed by a guilty feeling: “I should be doing more”.

I remember listening to a young woman speak during the 2018 Black History Month who was stating that it wasn’t until she came to Canada that she was told that she needed to identify as a black woman and a minority. As an immigrant, she had never entertained the idea that her skin colour now needed to become a part of her personal and public identity. She said she was so confused that she began to look to popular culture to help her figure out how be a “North American Black Woman”.

This stuck with me, because as the child of immigrants, Canada is the only home I’ve ever known. While we live in a tolerant mosaic of a country, I learned from a very young age, for better or for worse, that the first thing people see when they look at me is my skin colour. My identity will always be couched with the colour of my skin. I don’t say this with anger, but rather with sadness for people that grew up viewing their skin colour as only one facet of their identity, who are now being told in their new home, that this is no longer the case.

What also stuck with me was a conversation I had with a colleague of mine who had immigrated to Canada from Mexico roughly 15 years ago. We spoke about how neither of us were wealthy or had any particularly unique insight to share, but we were both called upon at times in our respective communities to take on leadership roles.

It was at that moment that he and I began to discuss our privilege. Because of our education, communication skills and network, the world was no longer looking at us the way we thought it was. Also, whether we liked it or not, society was actively drawing a distinction between us and other members of our communities.

What we uncovered, was that as we built our careers, that we now had access to things like bank financing, as well as investment and business opportunities that were not available to previous generations or new immigrants in our communities.

These were meaningful insights for me because it forced me to re-examine my personal situation and really reflect on the challenges that others were experiencing that I may have not realized were no longer challenges for me.

These issues are compounded because we do not know how to define Canadian black culture. The U.S. dictates much of our culture by flooding us with their sports, news and pop culture. Unfortunately, this drives many of us to sometimes take ownership for a struggle that is not our own. Like the U.S., Canada has challenges in the black community around crime, low graduation rates, under-employment, and being profiled by police. However, the extent of the political, racial and economic divide in the U.S. is far more severe than anything we experience in Canada.

These outside influences can at times make us feel that we are further behind than we actually are, or that we have more obstacles ahead than actually exist. By disassociating ourselves, at least partially, from the outside narrative of what it means to be black, our community can reflect on the things we do have and the progress we have made.

Our journey as leaders is a continuous one with no real end point. We can start by walking with our community and letting them know that it doesn’t matter what the world is telling you, that you are free to define yourself as you see fit and to build any life you want.

Most importantly, to acknowledge that the community has many more leaders than ever, that are more than equipped to share stories and insights and to help us all move forward. This means prioritizing sharing and celebrating our successes, and not our struggles.

Maurice Alexander [BA/05, MA/08] is a Treasury Board Analyst in the Department of Finance for the Government of Manitoba. He is also a sessional instructor (Government-Business Relations; Public Administration) at the University of Winnipeg. His research at the U of M focused on globalization and the impacts ideologies have on social, political and economic institutions.

We rented bicycles then started our tour of the North Salient. Ten minutes from Ypres we arrived at the site where Canadian surgeon, John McCrae, penned the poem “In Flanders Fields.” This small, meticulously manicured cemetery housed several concrete bunkers where medics, including McCrae, worked around the clock fixing broken bodies from the front lines. He wrote the poem after losing a friend on the operating table, but McCrae never saw the end of the war either, dying near Ypres in 1918.

Bright red poppies pepper the roadsides in the South Salient. // Photo from Paul Panchyshyn

We left and rode 30 minutes to Langemark, home of the German student cemetery, aptly named because most of the Germans buried there were teenagers. In one small section, some 40,000 lay in an unmarked “comrade” grave. Our next destination was The Brooding Soldier, known locally as “The Canadian.” This exact location is where Canadian troops stood their ground against the first German gas attack during the Second Battle of Ypres. The monument faces the direction of the gas cloud that lurched across no man’s land towards the unsuspecting Canadian soldiers. It’s a sombre place, but the garden and statue were stunningly poignant and beautiful.

The Brooding Soldier faces the direction of the first poison gas cloud. // Photo from Paul Panchyshyn

We cycled another 20 minutes along the “Gifgas” route to Tyne Cot, one of the largest cemeteries in the region. It’s perched upon a hill with a commanding view of the countryside. The majority of soldiers memorialized at this cemetery died in the Third Battle of Ypres, the infamous Battle of Passchendaele. Many of the headstones are nameless, bearing this simple epitaph: “A SOLDIER OF THE GREAT WAR. KNOWN UNTO GOD.” 

After strolling through Tyne Cot, we left for the town of Zonnebeke and our final destination of the day: the Passchendaele Museum.  After the impressive museum the tour continued through a tunnel as distant shell explosions caused the lights to flicker. It was almost too realistic.  We then emerged into the trenches which, a hundred years earlier, were wet, smelly, muddy, and rat infested. Soldiers cowered under constant fear of snipers, artillery and poison gas attacks, but the alternative was going over the top and being shredded by machine gun fire or drowning in the Passchendaele mud.

Trenches at The Passchendaele Museum. // Photo from Paul Panchyshyn

The second day wound through smaller, more intimate cemeteries in the South Salient. Along the sparsely driven roads, clusters of bright red poppies quivered in the breeze. At Chester Farm cemetery, the sun finally peeked through the shroud of grey cloud and brought out vivid colours of green grass, red and blue flowers, and ghostly white headstones. Our next destinations were two small cemeteries in a wooded oasis called Bluff and Hedgerow. At Hedgerow there’s a display of artifacts exhumed from the soil.  We then cycled to Hill 60, a piece of land barely 500 metres wide that had been conquered and reconquered four different times. Several thousand soldiers still lie buried under the artillery-scarred landscape.

We continued our ride through the pastoral countryside, stopping briefly at Mount Sorrel to admire another impressive Canadian memorial then the massive Hooge Crater cemetery. We finished with a stop at the Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry memorial, which recalled the First Battle of Ypres where the PPCLI soldiers fought bravely despite losing 90 per cent of the division. They halted the German advance to Ypres in 1914 and gave the Commonwealth armies a sliver of hope, changing the entire course of the war.

Cycling the Ypres Salient was an amazingly educational and emotional experience. We too often take Remembrance Day for granted without understanding its true meaning and appreciating the sacrifices, especially as they relate to Canada and all Canadians. To this day, people still leave photos on grave sites dedicated to a great uncle, grandfather, and great-grandfather, yet the people in these photographs could have been culled from high school yearbooks. Finally, the Ypres countryside is a lovely place to go cycling. It’s mostly paved, flat and safe, which makes it great for a family excursion.  It’s also an unforgettable contextual history lesson. One hundred years ago this November 11^th, peace finally returned to Flanders Fields, proving that even in the darkest times, there is still hope for humanity.

Paul Panchyshyn [BA/91, ExEd/12] graduated with a History degree from the University of Manitoba in 1991, then completed a Certificate in Teaching English as a Second Language in 2011.  When Paul and his wife, Julia, are not traveling, he works for Parking Services.  You can read more about some of their travel experiences at Adventure Travel for the Unadventurous.  

While there, I had the opportunity to meet many UN professionals who have devoted their careers, and indeed their lives, to the UN’s mission of global peace. We spent most of the week at the Church Center building (literally on the other side of the street from UN headquarters) and were very fortunate to meet individuals like Henia Dakkak (Program Advisor at the UN Population Fund), Carl Skau (Alternative Representive to the Security Council and Spokesperson for the Swedish mission to the UN), and Stéphane Dujarric (Spokesman for the Secretary-General).

What impressed me the most about everyone we met who worked either for, or with, the UN was their humble attitude towards their personal accomplishments. All of them had achieved so much professional success and yet their focus always seemed to be on how much work the UN had left to do and how they were trying to make sure that vital work was happening. It was truly inspirational to meet with such professionals.

During my time at the UN I learned more than I ever thought I would about the inner workings of such a large and diverse multi-cultural institution. Indeed, the UN has arguably one of the most diverse workforces of any organization globally and it uses that diversity as a strength. There are many justifiable criticisms which can be made about the UN: that it suffers from corruption, is biased towards Western countries, is ineffective, and is too expensive. Yet, for all these criticisms the UN still represents what countries can do if they come together in peace to solve issues which cross borders. Issues such as inequality, poverty, hunger, disease, and climate change.

The UN, as an organization, is one of humanity’s best hopes at trying to resolve such pressing issues before they lead, as they have in the past and continue to do so, to situations of conflict and war.

This claim is not one which I make lightly. At the beginning of my week at the UN, all the program participants were asked to raise their hand if they thought that the UN was an effective institution which could respond to global challenges. Only a few hands went up. Most participants were skeptical about the UN’s ability to really make significant changes in the world and argued that it was instead world powers such as the United States, China, and Russia who were responsible for global action.

On the last day of the week, after having had the opportunity to speak with, and learn from, UN practitioners and diplomats, tour the UN headquarters, and sit in on a Security Council meeting (this last activity was really unique as we needed special permission to be able to do this), all the participants were asked the question again. This time almost all hands went up. Some even raised both hands. This dramatic change of opinion was undoubtedly due to the many unique learning opportunities offered as part of the UN Intensive Summer Program.

Although my time at the UN was short, it has had a profound impact on how I now view the UN and the pressing global challenges which it aims, through the tireless work of all those who work and volunteer under its auspices, to address. The take-away lesson from my week at the UN has been that everyone has a role to play in making the world a better place and that small actions can add up to make a big difference. As our world becomes increasingly interconnected we are all becoming global citizens. This shift means that we can no longer ignore problems beyond our immediate surroundings.

In this new environment we have a responsibility towards each other, and the planet, to try and create positive change. With this article, I hope to make my own small difference by sharing what I learned and by encouraging everyone reading this article right now to try and learn more about what they can do to support the UN’s work.

I was able to take part in this once-in-a-lifetime learning experience because of a scholarship generously provided by the Manitoba Chair of Global Governance Studies (MCGGS); a joint project involving the University of Manitoba and the University of Winnipeg’s Political Science/Studies Departments.  Over the past several years the MCGGS has generously funded scholarships for students at the U of M and U of W (from diverse faculties) to attend this program. For more information about how to apply contact the department of Political Studies at the University of Manitoba.

Maria Gheorghe [BA(Hons)/16] is an MA Political Studies candidate in the University of Manitoba’s Faculty of Arts. She is also a Duff Roblin Fellow. Her research focuses on behavioural economics and Canadian public policy and she hopes to work in government to create positive change.