5th Annual Women in Manufacturing Success Forum

The Honourable Carla Qualtrough

Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Disability Inclusion

The Honourable Carla Qualtrough is the Member of Parliament for Delta, British Columbia. She has been a Cabinet Minister since she was first elected in 2015, having previously served as Minister of Sport and Persons with Disabilities, and as Minister of Public Services and Procurement and Accessibility. She currently serves in the senior role of Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Disability Inclusion. She is active on a number of Cabinet committees, and has been at the center of the federal response to the COVID-19 pandemic. She is responsible for many emergency measures, including the CERB, the CESB, Employment Insurance and the Disability Payment. As Canada works to recover from the effects of this pandemic, Minister Qualtrough is leading the charge on creating jobs, upskilling workers and implementing a historic Disability Inclusion Action Plan.

Prior to entering politics, Minister Qualtrough practiced human rights law at the provincial and federal levels, and was a Vice-Chair with the Workers’ Compensation Appeals Tribunal. She also has an impressive background in sport, having competed for Team Canada in the sport of swimming, winning a number of world championship and Paralympic medals. She volunteered extensively at the local, national and international levels, focusing on inclusion and equal access for all. She has been inducted into the Canadian Paralympic Hall of Fame, and has been recognized as one of Canada’s most influential women in sport on a number of occasions.

Minister Qualtrough has been legally blind since birth and is a passionate advocate for the rights of persons with disabilities. She led the creation of the Accessible Canada Act and is internationally recognized for her work in disability inclusion. She has received a number of awards for her advocacy, including from the Disabled Women’s Network of Canada, the Canadian National Institute for the Blind, the BC Aboriginal Network on Disability Society, the Abilities Centre and the International Paralympic Committee. She is also the recipient of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Award.

Mandy Rennehan

Blue-Collar CEO™ & Founder

Freshco.ca (not the grocery store!)

Host, Contractor & Designer for HGTV’s, Trading Up

Mandy Rennehan (a.k.a. Bear) is called the Blue-Collar CEO™ for her ability to seamlessly navigate between the white- and blue-collar worlds, and to respectfully ‘tell it like it is’.

Not only is she the Host, Designer and Contractor for HGTV’s new show, Trading Up, Mandy is a sought-after speaker, multiple award-winning entrepreneur, philanthropist, trade-industry ambassador and CEO/founder of Freshco.ca (not the grocery store!)

Mandy defies labels. The description she often gets is “refreshing.” Her (respectfully) uncensored honesty is matched by her quick wit, East Coast humour, and big heart. It is impossible to remain unchanged after coming into contact with this authentic, self-taught and self-made powerhouse.

Her vision goes well beyond building successful businesses. She is redefining the collar, blue™ and changing the answer to ‘what do you want to be when you grow up?’ in order to help solve the massive skilled trade shortage world wide.

Mandy is challenging the misconception that white-collar jobs are “better” or “more desirable” than blue-collar ones; society needs both collars!

Rennehan is also a lead advisor to the federal Governments national campaign encouraging apprenticeships and promoting the skilled trades as a career and has a book coming out called, The Blue Collar CEO, My Gutsy Journey from Rookie Contractor to Multi-Millionaire Construction Boss April 19^th with Harper Collins Publishing.

Jamie McMillan

Jamie became an ironworker in 2002 when women only represented 2% of the workforce across Canada and the United States. She thoroughly understands the struggles and challenges of working in a male dominated workforce and is on mission to break down the negative misconceptions and stereotypes.

Through KickAss Careers, Jamies travels approximately 30 weeks a year providing engaging keynote presentations and workshops to more than 50,000 students, parents, educators and employers each year across North America. Her efforts have gained international notoriety for opening doors and minds to the possibilities of well-paid careers in skilled trades and technology sectors.

Over the years, Jamie has received the Top 20 Under 40 Award for making an impact in the metal trades, the Ontario Youth Apprenticeship Program Champion Award and District School Board of Niagara Technology Education Partnership Award for her commitment to youth in schools across the province of Ontario.

In 2018 she received the Hamilton YWCA Women of Distinction Award for being a trailblazer excelling in her field promoting leadership and equal advancement opportunities. In 2019, Jamie was named a co-chair on a National Skilled Trades Advisory Committee to create a campaign to promote careers in skilled trades as first choice pathways to youth for the Canadian Federal Government by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

Jamie continues to speak professionally across North America, works on various construction sites across the country whenever possible, and enjoys helping out at a homeless shelter for women. In her free time she loves to hang out with family, friends, travel, climb mountains and hike with her cat Spud.

CME Members: Complimentary – Anyone from your company can register

Non-Members: 250+ tax, includes events March 7-11

Students/Educators: Free

Please contact Ashley Stevens, Events and Partnership Coordinator.