Film honours Canada’s first black female member of parliament

TORONTO:

A documentary feature film Steadfast: The Messenger and the Message, made its début recently celebrating Canada’s first black female member of parliament (MP) and minister, Dr Jean Augustine.

From an intimate chat with mainstream news reporters Tammie Sutherland and Dwight Drummond to a swanky reception at the Harbourfront Centre celebrating the political icon’s 85th birthday, Toronto was abuzz with excitement.

In fact, the cities of Toronto and Brampton proclaimed September 9 as Jean Augustine’s Day.

The Jean Augustine story is one of inspiration and had viewers spellbound through enactments which depicted the women’s advocate and social culturist’s determination to become a teacher, after coming to Canada as a domestic worker.The storytelling of her fight for the rights of women and blacks in Canada, and interview footage of prime minister of Canada, Justin Trudeau; former prime minister of Grenada, Dr Keith Mitchell; first black Miss World, Jennifer Hosten; celebrity chef Selwyn Richards, and many others, such as several MPs and political leaders in Canada, were also included.

On stage, during her conversation with CBC anchor Dwight Drummond, Augustine reiterated from the Fahim Hamid Ali film about her, more insights of the impact she’d made on her political journey.

She spoke about the lack of community relations, the non-communication between school boards and parents, as well as the absence of a Landlord and Tenant Act.

“Wanting to make life better for myself was also wanting to make life better for the community and I didn’t do any of those things by myself, as I was always in a team,” she stated.

“ I was always with the support, and I say, as Desmond Tutu said a long time ago, ‘if I stand tall it’s because I’m standing on the shoulder’ of so many people who have supported me and who are supporting me. So it’s the community and whatever success I’ve had, being, because there were allies because I work with so many people in the community who said, ‘Yes, go!”

A souvenir coffee-table style book of the film was promoted as being available for purchase.