Be the difference
The Ontario Women’s Liberal Commission (OWLC) is a group of dedicated women from a variety of diverse backgrounds and experiences whose goal is to strengthen the voice of the women in the Ontario Liberal Party and in politics.
Our goal as an organization is to engage women on important policy issues, recruit talented women organizers and candidates and support women running for office by raising funds on their behalf.
Margaret Campbell Fund
Margaret Campbell was a very active and visible female Liberal, serving in public office for more than two decades. During her distinguished career, Ms. Campbell served as a member of city council, as a provincial court judge and eventually became a Member of Provincial Parliament.
Ms. Campbell was a distinguished female Liberal Member of Provincial Parliament. She was first elected in 1973 representing the riding of St. George and throughout her career she worked tirelessly for many causes. She led the crusade for women’s rights, as well as the fight for better health care and improvements to the justice system.
In 1984, The Margaret Campbell Fund was established to help raise funds in support of female Liberal candidates. The Ontario Women’s Liberal Commission supports this fund through a number of fundraising initiatives.
The ability to successfully raise enough funds to mount an effective campaign is, sadly, still an obstacle that female candidates face today. The Margaret Campbell Fund strives to offer the financial support that female candidates deserve.
Ontario Liberal Women’s Mentorship Network (OLWMN)
In 2019, the Ontario Women’s Liberal Commission (OWLC) and the Ontario Young Liberals (OYL) launched the Ontario Liberal Women’s Mentorship Network (OLWMN)!
The OLWMN aims to help women across Ontario expand their professional, political, and social networks. We want Ontario Liberal women to share their experiences in work, campaigning, and political life, all while forging meaningful relationships.
History of the OWLC
The story of the Ontario Women’s Liberal Commission (OWLC) begins in 1928 when a determined group of Liberal women from across Canada gathered for a national assembly, the first of its kind. They saw the need for an active and effective women’s wing of the Liberal Party of Canada and were set on establishing an organization that would give them a strong voice within the Party.
Today, the OWLC is one of the major pillars of the Ontario Liberal Party and represents and promotes the interests of women within the Party by encouraging the active participation of women in politics and ensuring that provincial policies and legislation embrace women and have a gender lens applied to them.
OWLC Executive Board
| President | Marilyn Raphael |
| Executive Vice-President | Nadia Guerrera |
| Secretary | Desiree Sam |
| Treasurer | Aqsa Naveed |
| Immediate Past President | Amelia Libertucci |
| Vice-President Communications | Laura Gray |
| Vice-President Membership | Alisha Kaur Mullay |
| Vice-President Fundraising | Xania Pagliaroli |
| Vice-President Policy and Constitutional Affairs | Laura Sarmento |
| Vice-President Young Women | Precious Okpeahior |
| Vice-President Senior Women | Kelly Dunn |
| Vice-President Indigenous Women | Julie McLeod |
| Vice-President Central East | Amber Bowen |
| Vice-President Central West | Sumira Malik |
| Vice-President Central North | Vikki Pownall |
| Vice-President East | Patricia Pepper |
| Vice-President North | Elizabeth Poulin |
| Vice-President South Central | Keagan McNeil |
| Vice-President South West | Ashley Waters |
| Vice-President Toronto (Etobicoke/Downtown/East York) | Bernarda Dyrmishi |
| Vice-President Toronto (York/North York/Scarborough) |
OWLC Club Presidents
| OWLC Club | Club President | |
|---|---|---|
| East Region | ||
| Carleton Women’s Provincial Liberal Association | Kacia Elliott | [email protected] |
| Kanata-Carleton Women’s Provincial Liberal Association | Cheryl Gringas | [email protected] |
| Nepean Women’s Provincial Liberal Association | Benda Abramson | [email protected] |
| Orléans Provincial Liberal Women’s Association | Barbara Daniela Gandolfo | [email protected] |
| Central North | ||
| Southern York Region Women’s Liberal Association | Maureen Capotosto | [email protected] |
| King-Vaughan Ontario Liberal Women’s Club | Amelia Libertucci | [email protected] |
| North | ||
| Thunder Bay Area Liberal Women’s Club | Crystal Caputo | [email protected] |
| South Central | ||
| Brantford-Brant Women’s Liberal Club | Donna Nelson | [email protected] |
| Hamilton Region Women’s Liberal Association | Shubha Sandill | [email protected] |
| Waterloo Region Women’s Provincial Liberal Association | Surekha Shenoy | [email protected] |
| Toronto (Etobicoke/Downtown/East York) | ||
| Toronto Liberal West End Women | Sabine Soumare | [email protected] |
| Tuesday Luncheon Club | Sharon McCarthy | [email protected] |
| Toronto (York/North York/Scarborough) | ||
| Scaborough-Guildwood Women’s Provincial Liberal Association (SGWPLA) | Mary McDermott | [email protected] |
| Scarborough-Rouge Park Women’s Provincial Liberal Association | Ms. Letna Allen-Rowe | [email protected] |
| Willowdale Women’s Liberal Club | Judi Codd | [email protected] |
| Central East | ||
| Durham Women’s Provincial Liberal Association | Aisha Heywood | [email protected] |
| Central West | ||
| Dufferin-Peel Ontario Women’s Liberal Association | Claudia McKoy | [email protected] |
| South West | ||
| No clubs at this time, start one! | ||
Eight Easy Steps to Getting a Women’s Club or Association Started
1. Get a core group of women together to act as an organizing and planning committee.
Three or four women is recommended. These women become the nucleus of the Club or Association and hopefully become the Executive Officers of your Club or Association – President, Vice-President, Treasurer and/or Secretary.
2. Decide on a name for your group.
Your group can be a Club or Association e.g. Tuesday Luncheon Club or Waterloo Region Women’s Provincial Liberal Association. Your Club or Association can be specific to one provincial riding or to a region or geographic area.
3. Prepare your paperwork.
The Ontario Women’s Liberal Commission will provide you with all the documents you will need – Founding Meeting notice, agenda, minutes, a member information form and constitution. A constitution is a very important document for your Club or Association. It will provide guidance on your mandate, number of Executive Officers required, membership needed, fundraising etc.
4. Actively recruit and invite women to join your Club or Association.
You need a minimum of 10 women who are current members of the Ontario Liberal Party. From these women, you will need to identify Executive Officers, who will stand for election in the following positions – President, Vice President, Treasurer and/or Secretary.
5. Set a date, time and place for your Founding Meeting and get your notice out.
It is very important to notify the Ontario Women’s Liberal Commission once you are ready to send out the notice for your meeting – as they can help you get in touch with the Ontario Liberal Party Regional VP and local Riding Presidents.
6. Identify a Chair for your Founding Meeting.
The Ontario Women’s Liberal Commission can help you secure a Chair for your Founding Meeting. They will also provide you with some Ontario Women’s Liberal Commission literature and merchandise that you can hand out at the Founding Meeting.
7. Hold a successful Founding Meeting.
At the Founding Meeting, your Club or Association Executive will be elected and your constitution will be adopted. Use this meeting to discuss your Club or Association priorities and to set a schedule for regular meetings. You may want to circulate a short survey to the attendees to get a sense of their interests.
8. Submit your Founding Meeting paperwork to get your club ratified!
Final copies of the Founding Meeting minutes, constitution, list of Club or Association Executive Members with contact information as well as membership list should be sent to the Ontario Women’s Liberal Commission. Once final materials are received your club will be ratified.
Welcome to the Ontario Women’s Liberal Commission!
You’re on Your Way! Good Luck!
Remember you MUST have an Annual General Meeting every year in order to be ratified by the Ontario Women’s Liberal Commission. For more information, contact the Ontario Women’s Liberal Commission at [email protected]
