Sask. delegates for Daughters of the Vote weigh in on protests against Trudeau and Scheer
'A lot of us felt that it was too big a moment to just sit by and not do something about'
Saskatchewan women were among the delegates who turned their backs on Justin Trudeau and walked out on Andrew Scheer in the House of Commons this week.
The protests came from some members of Daughters of the Vote, a delegation in Ottawa this week because of a national organization called Equal Voice, which aims for equal representation in government.
Brit Sippola was one of the Saskatchewan women who turned away from Trudeau in protest of his ejection of Jody Wilson-Raybould and Jane Philpott from the Liberal caucus.
Sippola said they wanted the protest to be respectful and quiet, but still make an impact.
"A lot of us felt that it was too big a moment to just sit by and not do something about," she said.
It was a weird situation to be so close to someone who I used to really respect and admire and to turn away from him because I was so disgusted by his actions recently.- Brit Sippola
The protest had been co-ordinated beforehand, but some of the group found out about it as it was happening or right before it happened and joined in.
Sippola said the moment felt a little strange to her. She said she was "big supporter" of Trudeau in the past.
"It was a weird situation to be so close to someone who I used to really respect and admire and to turn away from him because I was so disgusted by his actions recently," she said.
Rodala Aranya was also present for the protest, but she didn't stand. She said she fully supports the women who did that, but felt she was there for a different purpose.
"For me, it was staying seated and looking at him and trying to engage in that discussion with him," she said.
"They had a message that they wanted to send and they had questions that they wanted to ask and it was amazing to have that space to do that."
Aranya said it has been an eventful week but the Daughters of the Vote mission remains the same.
"Nonetheless, I do not think that women wanting to get seats in the House of Commons will ever change," she said.
With files from Tony Davis, Kevin O'Connor and Saskatoon Morning