Letter to the Founding Members of Women in the Centre

To all the incredible women who’ve joined Women in the Centre,

I want to start this letter with humility. As a man writing to a group of accomplished, capable, and community-driven women, I understand that my role here is not to lead, it’s to support. What follows is not a directive, but a set of suggestions. This agenda is meant to offer a starting point, a framework that I hope serves as a helpful foundation as you decide together what this group will become.

Over the last few years, I’ve listened closely to countless women across Ontario; mothers, professionals, caregivers, entrepreneurs that speak about the structural and personal barriers they continue to face. What I heard was honest, often difficult, and deeply motivating. This group exists because those voices matter and because Ontario needs to reflect them in our politics, in our priorities, and in our leadership.

Women in the Centre is a civic initiative within the Ontario Centrist Party, but it belongs entirely to its members. The agenda below is simply a guide, a tool to help us begin moving in a direction that brings meaningful change to women’s lives across this province.

Vision & Core Deliverables

• Policy Development: Drive policy that reflects lived experience and supports real progress for women in Ontario.
• Leadership Pipeline: Identify, mentor, and support women into leadership and political roles across the province.
• Community Mobilization: Build networks that inform, connect, and empower women to lead change where they live and work.

Year One Priorities

1. Women’s Health & Reproductive Care

• Establish a taskforce focused on OB/GYN access, postpartum care, and rural health gaps.
• Advocate for improved mental health resources, including perimenopause and trauma-informed care.
• Push for stronger data collection and research on women’s long-COVID and cardiovascular risks.

2. Affordable Childcare & Early Learning

• Design policy for affordable, publicly funded childcare with real municipal flexibility.
• Support pilot programs for workplace-supported childcare in partnership with local employers.

3. Economic Empowerment

• Launch a Women Entrepreneurs Fund: grants and mentorship for women-owned businesses.
• Create a provincial directory to promote women-owned vendors for public procurement.
• Advocate for fair parental leave and re-entry supports in private sector hiring practices.

4. Leadership & Participation

• Develop a “Women Candidate Bootcamp” covering fundraising, organizing, and digital campaigning.
• Establish leadership fellowships with post-secondary and professional institutions.
• Create a Women’s Advisory Council to influence the party’s platform and policy focus.

5. Equity in Policy & Budgeting

• Push for mandatory Gender-Based Analysis (GBA+) in all provincial budget decisions.
• Host an annual Ontario Women’s Budget Summit to assess equity outcomes and impact.
• Publish annual equity performance reports across key ministries and social programs.

Ongoing Initiatives

Measuring Progress

• Policy Wins: Are our proposals being adopted, heard, or debated?
• Participation Growth: How many new women are engaging, mentoring, and leading?
• Community Reach: Are we showing up in the places where women need support?
• Recognition & Visibility: Are our voices shaping platforms, media, and public thinking?

Next Steps

• Convene a launch session to align around your top two priorities for the year.
• Establish working groups based on interest, region, and lived experience.
• Continue growing the group in a way that reflects your vision, not anyone else’s.

With deep respect and appreciation,

Mansoor Qureshi
Leader, Ontario Centrist Party