On being a powerful Black woman…in Canada

Celina Caesar-Chavannes is a powerful businesswoman who lives in Whitby, Canada. In 2014 she decided to run for office and won, becoming the only Black woman in the Parliament of Canada.

Caesar-Chavannes was appointed the Parliamentary Secretary to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, a highly sought-after role, but she became frustrated by the lack of aggressive action to repair Canada’s deepest wounds. By 2019, she decided she would have more flexibility and, ultimately, more influence working outside of Parliament. She declined the opportunity to run again and resigned from the Liberal party, becoming one of their sharpest critics.

Black Diplomats host Terrell J Starr has a wide-ranging conversation with Caesar-Chevannes about her history in business and government, why Canada might not be the utopia people in the States think it is, what racism looks like in a country known for being friendly, and how they’re dealing with the scourge of COVID.

Check out her website here or follower her on Twitter to keep up to date.

To read more about Caesar-Chevannes’ time in Parliament, check out the articles here, here, and here.

For more information on Black Diplomats, check out our website here.

Thanks for listening!