JASON SETNYK
Senator Bernadette Clement rose in the Red Chamber to celebrate the 2026 Paralympic Winter Games while calling attention to the need for greater representation in sport.
“I am honoured to rise alongside my friend and colleague Senator Petitclerc to celebrate the Paralympics,” Clement began, noting events such as wheelchair curling, para ice hockey and para alpine skiing. “Wasn’t that double-rock takeout by Jon Thurston incredible?” she added, highlighting a strong performance by Canada.
Clement reflected on her love of winter sport and her family’s journey. She spoke of her father, a Trinidadian immigrant raising three children in Montreal, who “never learned to love, or even like, winter,” yet supported his children wholeheartedly. “Pop may not have thought so, but he did conquer winter,” she said, recalling how he drove through storms so her brother could play hockey and stood at the bottom of ski hills cheering them on. “He told me he was amazed he could produce children who would strap wood sticks on their feet and happily hurl themselves down a hill of snow,” Clement added.
As one of the few Black families at the Laurentians ski hills, Clement said those experiences shaped her understanding of belonging. “Representation matters,” she told senators, pointing out that “there are no Black Canadians at these Paralympics.”
She described the pride she felt watching three Black women compete in Olympic hockey, saying, “Watching them made me feel connected to Canada’s game in a way that I have never experienced before.”
Clement acknowledged para nordic skier Leo Sammarelli and expressed hope that more racialized athletes will compete in future Games. Citing barriers such as costly equipment and limited access to training, she concluded, “We have a lot of work to do.”
“I am very much looking forward to cheering on many other Black Canadians at the next Paralympic Games,” she said. “In the meantime, I will support all of our athletes.”
L’article Senator: Representation gap at Paralympics est apparu en premier sur Cornwall Seaway News.
