The motto for this fourth presentation of the event: Dare. Two panels – one female and one male – discussed problems and possible solutions to advance women in the world of business and sport.

But above all, the organizer of the event, Alexandre Kénol, declared from the outset that “it is an event that should no longer exist”. He states that orchestrating it gives him the greatest pleasure, but that he knows he will succeed the day the event will no longer be necessary.

Meanwhile, five women took to the stage at Montmorency College the day after International Women’s Rights Day. Although their backgrounds are different, they all shared the idea of ​​a glass ceiling that needed to be broken in order to achieve their respective goals.

Not only Geneviève Harbec, who has worked for CF Montreal, the Montreal Alouettes and the Formula 1 Grand Prix of Canada, among others, has an impressive track record on the board.

She was shared by France national soccer team second-scorer Marinette Pichon, emergency medicine physician and Canadian soccer player Harmine Christina Léo, Quebec women’s soccer team coach Julie Casselman and TVA Sports presenter Justine St-Martin.

Although many barriers have been broken down in recent years, according to the participants, there are still some.

Everyone in the spotlight

An analogy used throughout the evening was that of sharing the light. To quote Justine St-Martin: “There is enough light for us all to shine”.

However, sometimes there are too many obstacles on the way to achieve this.

St-Martin speaks of certain women who sometimes refuse to share said light. Pichon instead addresses the importance of relatives who may come and try to cast doubt on a woman’s ability to achieve a goal. For her part, Casselman believes women need to be brave and not listen to their own insecurities that could undermine the achievement of their goal.

Two solutions emerge.

Harbec takes the liberty of completing the panelist’s response by adding that the nerves of war remain money to arrive at such a scenario. In her opinion, funds must be dedicated to women’s sport so that they are shared and recognized.

The “You” panel

For the first time during the event there was a male panel in the first part. “Because men have to be allies to be part of the solution,” says Kénol.

Mathieu Chamberland, former General Manager at Soccer Québec and now Chief Operating Officer at Canada Soccer, Éric Brunelle, Director of the Pôle des Sports at HEC Montréal, Duane John, Deputy Director of the Sports component at Collège Montmorency, and Alexandre Da Rocha, Head of Coach at the Citadins de l’UQAM women’s football team, all took part in the exercise.

Brunelle allowed himself to explain how he defines the “ally” and that helping the cause is a daily mission: “He’s the one who makes the difference. He is the one who will break the glass ceiling and help women take the place they have deserved for too long. »

Ultimately, Chamberland sees only one way to upgrade women in sport: “We need more diversity. More diversity on the boards, more diversity in the area and more diversity among the leaders of the associations. »

A variety that shows itself timidly. But what are we waiting for? Once again.