Fulfilling Canadas Healthcare Promise: A Call to Action

We are excited to have former BC NDP Cabinet Minister, Union Leader, and Author Judy Darcy join us this year as our Keynote speaker at our annual lecture in collaboration with The Douglas Coldwell Layton Foundation titled “Fulfilling Canadas Healthcare Promise: A Call to Action”. The lecture serves as a tribute to Alexa McDonough’s legacy of leadership, compassion, and progressive change while bringing together a community gathering of engaged citizens, activists, students, and supporters from across Nova Scotia and beyond.

Location: Multipurpose Room, 3rd Floor Rosaria Centre, Mount Saint Vincent University
Time: September 15th, 6:00pm
Doors open at 5:30pm.

The main lecture will be followed by an inspired Panel Discussion featuring other leading experts in their given fields. The purpose of this Lecture is not just to pay tribute to wins passed, but to raise awareness, invoke discussion, and propose actionable ways to continue advancing progressive ideals and outcomes. We look forward to hosting you, your friends, and your family for a night of education and inspiration.

RSVP Now to ensure your attendance at this always packed event: Douglas, Coldwell, Layton Foundation and AMI Women in Politics Lecture 2026 – Fill out form

Past Events

Connecting for Action: Gender-based Violence and Leadership in Nova Scotia

Please save the date for Connecting for Action: Gender-based Violence and Leadership in Nova Scotia, a two-day community and academic gathering taking place May 26 – 27, 2026, at Mount Saint Vincent University. The event will run from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on May 26, and 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on May 27.

Register for free here:  Connecting for Action: Gender-based Violence and Leadership in Nova Scotia – Fill out form

Hosted by Nancy’s Chair at MSVU, in collaboration with the Alexa McDonough Institute, Be the Peace Institute and the Violence and Harassment in Politics Working Group, the event will bring together academics, community organizations, elected officials, advocates, and students for panels, workshops, and a networking social with local academic, non-profit, and political leaders. Topics will include gender-based violence in politics and workplaces, online harassment, and youth leadership.

We are excited to share that Dr. Tracey Raney, Full Professor at Toronto Metropolitan University and co-editor of Gender-based Violence in Canadian Politics in the #MeToo Era (University of Toronto Press, 2024), will be featured as a panelist. Dr. Raney is a leading scholar on gender and politics and a co-founder of TMU’s Women in the House leadership program.

Youth Networking and Mentorship Social: May 26, 3:00-5:00 pm

Food during the conference will be provided.

More details and registration information coming soon. We hope you’ll join us.

 

International Women’s Day: Women and Gender Studies Graduate Student Conference

March 5, 2025 12:00pm – 4:30pm
Seton Faculty Lounge, MSVU
Keynote Speakers: Dr. Gugu Hlongwane, Saint Mary’s University
Sam le Nobel, AMI Fellow (2025-2026)
Celebrating International Women’s Day, this half-day conference brings together MSVU and SMU Master’s students from Professor Tatjana Takševa’s course in transnational feminism. All are welcome. A light lunch will be provided.

Register here

Download Full Program:2026 Graduate Student Conference program

 

AMI Research Group Talk & Tea

We are pleased to invite you to two upcoming AMI Research Group Talk & Tea sessions this winter. These talks showcase MSVU Community research and offer space for discussion, connection, and reflection in the areas of women, gender, and social justice.

Thursday, March 19 | 12:00-1:00 PM
Title: How Are the Women? A Critical Intersectional Feminist Analysis of Overwhelmed Emergency Response Systems
Presenter: Samantha leNobel (Supervisor: Dr. Ian Reilly)
Location: McCain 302 and online via Teams

All are welcome to attend.

GBV in Politics Lecture Series: Dr. Bailey Gerrits

March 27, 2026 12:00pm – 1:30pm
Faculty Lounge (Seton 407/409), MSVU
Speaker: Dr. Bailey Gerrits, Saint Francis Xavier University
Moderated by Olya Stepanenko, IMWAH
Light refreshments provided, all welcome

Register here

2026 Girls Conference

Lead to Inspire:

Acts of Kindness, Moments of Courage!

Thursday, April 16, 2026 | 9:00 am – 3:00 pm ADT
Mount Saint Vincent University, Rosaria Student Centre, 3rd floor Multipurpose Room

Register at: https://register.onitevents.ca/event/group.aspx?EventName=girlsconference26

This year’s theme is Lead to Inspire: Acts of Kindness, Moments of Courage, and our keynote speaker is Honorable Leah Martin. Ms. Martin is the first Indigenous MLA in Nova Scotia history. Her cabinet responsibilities include, Minister of L’nu Affairs, Minister responsible for the Advisory Council on the Status of Women Act, and Minister responsible for Youth. We are also hosting a special trailblazer panel featuring the amazing talents of Nova Scotia women: Hannah Moscovitch, Sloan McKenzie, Jazmyne McLaughlin and Cindy Chang.

 

 

 

Girls Conference 2025: Better Together

On May 22, 2025, we gathered together at Mount Saint Vincent University for an unforgettable day of empowerment, learning, and inspiration. This signature event has empowered and inspired thousands of Nova Scotian girls aged 13-18 for more than a decade.

This year’s theme, Better Together, focused on empowering girls through fostering collaboration, community, and cooperation. We believe that through community engagement, we can create lasting change and inspire a new generation of leaders. We excitedly welcomed Larissa Crawford, a published Indigenous, anti-racism, and climate justice researcher, policy advisor, and founder of Future Ancestors Services as our keynote speaker. Alongside the keynote, students participated in more than 15 workshops and interactive sessions led by accomplished facilitators and professionals from diverse fields.

Thank you to all who participated in and contributed to Girls Conference 2025: Better Together!

Stay tuned for details about Girls Conference 2026.

Check out this year’s Girls Conference video:

Checkout 2025’s program below:
2025 Girls Conference PROGRAM

 

Winter Women Writers Series

A Herstory of Consent Activism Across Canadian University Campuses
In partnership with the Women’s Studies Student Society
March 26, 2025
12:00pm – 1:30pm
MSVU Seton Faculty Lounge (SAC 402/409)

 

Women and Gender Studies Graduate Student Conference

Women & Gender Studies Graduate Student Conference: Transnational Feminism

March 10, 2025
12:00pm – 4:30pm
Seton 407/409

 

Talk & Teas

Indigenous Feminisms & Sexualities

Presenters: Liza Hines, Miranda Rizsanyi, Justice Thompson-Snow

Moderated by Dr. Bernadette Russo

April 3, 2025
12:00pm – 1:00pm
McCain 201B & via Teams

 

A Gendered Politics of Location and Labour

Presenters: Dr. Ian Tian and Adebola Osegboun

February 26th, 2025
12:00pm-1:00pm
McCain 201B and Teams

 

Dr. Ian Tian

Project: Pleasure Production: Surviving Love and Labour in China’s Fast Fashion. Dr. Tian will be presenting his work on his current book project.

Dr. Ian Liujia Tian is an Assistant Professor of Global Equity Studies in the Department of Women’s Studies at Mount Saint Vincent University. Their research focuses broadly on the political economy of gender and sexuality in transnational contexts. They situate their research in queer Marxism, queer/trans of color critique, transnational feminism, and Asian Canadian/Asian studies.

 

Adebola Osegboun, AMI Fellow

Project: Problematizing the Institutionalization of Women Empowerment in Nigeria: The Role of the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs in Sustainable Development. Adebola will be presenting her work on her Master’s thesis.

Adebola Esther Osegboun is the 2024 Fellow of the Alexa McDonough Institute for Women, Gender and Social Justice at Mount Saint Vincent University. She is also a master’s student in Women and Gender Studies and a recipient of Dr. Ramona Lumpkin and Dr. William Blackburn Scholarship, Women & Gender Studies Graduate Scholarship, and Julie Ann Carroll Memorial Graduate Studies Scholarship Awards. She was born and raised in Nigeria, a country where social injustice, gender inequality and women’s rights violation remain pervasive. She holds both master’s and bachelor’s degrees in political science. Her research and teaching background in political science coupled with her volunteering experience with NGOs that focus on women empowerment initiatives informed her interest women and gender studies. Adebola’s research centres around feminist critique of Nigeria’s public policies and how this affects women participation and representation in electoral politics.

Prenatal Education

Presenters: Dr. Shannan Grant and Megan Gray, PhD Candidate

January 22nd, 2025
1:30pm-2:30pm
McCain 201B and Teams

Project: Prenatal education provide learners with knowledge and skills to support healthy pregnancy, birthing, and postpartum. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, a surge in virtual prenatal education has been observed. In Nova Scotia this trend pre-dated the pandemic, with prenatal education classes being replaced with an online education in 2014-18, and has received mixed reviews from the public. Megan and Shannan will present an overview of the work they have done to explore this phenomenon, through interdisciplinary and inter-professional collaboration and education.

 


Megan Gray, PhD Candidate

Megan is a Registered Dietitian, MSc AHN graduate from Mount Saint Vincent University, and current PhD in Health student at Dalhousie University. Through Megan’s academic journey she developed an interest in Women’s health, specifically pregnancy, birthing, and postpartum. She is passionate about advancing research and promoting evidence-based practices to support maternal and infant health.

 

Dr. Shannan Grant

Shannan Grant, RD, MSc, PhD, is a Registered Dietitian, Associate Professor, and Graduate Program Coordinator, Department of Applied Human Nutrition, Mount Saint Vincent University. She is an Affiliate Scientist at IWK Health, and Co-Founder/ Co-Chair of the Women’s Health Communication Community of Practice, which you will learn more about at this talk. For more, see her AMI bio here: Dr. Shannan Grant Biography

 

Social Media & Social Justice

Presenters: Alicia Guo MA Communications student and Dr. Tegan Zimmerman

November 27th, 2024
1:30pm-2:30pm
McCain 201B and Teams

Our Talk and Teas are an opportunity for faculty, staff, and students to share either forthcoming research (e.g., a conference presentation) or post-research reports (e.g., a newly published article or book chapter) in the areas of women, gender, and social justice.

A conversation on each session’s theme will follow. Everyone is welcome to attend.

 

 

 

To learn more, check out our research page at Alexa McDonough Institute Research Group.

National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women

National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women Commemoration

December 6th, 2024
12:00pm-1:30pm
Art Gallery, MSVU

 

The Alexa McDonough Institute commemorated the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women  with a critical conversation led by Dawn Ferris, Autumn House, and moderated by Meredith Ralston, Chair of Women’s Studies.

In memory of the 14 young women murdered at Polytechnique Montréal (1989).

 

 

Women's Writer Series

Fall Women Writers Series

Presenters: Sue Goyette, Anna Quon, Claire Horn, and Sue Murtagh, as we well as original work by Asiah Sparks.

November 21st, 2024
7:00-8:30pm
MacDonald Reading Room, MSVU Library

 

This free, open to the public event was sponsored by the Alexa McDonough Institute, Mount Writing Centre, and MSVU Library.

International Day of the Girl Child

Youth Poetry Competition

 

Guest Judges: Clare Goulet and Damini Awoyiga

Clare Goulet
Clare Goulet’s writing has appeared in The Fiddlehead, Grain, Room, & others. Her most recent book is Graphis scripta: writing lichen (2024).

Damini Awoyiga
Damini Awoyiga is a high school student. She is an activist, spoken word poet, and the former Halifax’s Youth Poet Laureate (2023-2024).

This competition was open to girls aged 9-17 and focuses on the theme “Girls’ Vision for the Future.” It is an excellent opportunity for young poets to express their hopes and dreams while competing for a chance to win prizes and have their work published.

Submission Details: 1 submission per person, maximum 40 lines

Submission Deadline: October 31st, 2024

Prizes: 1st Prize: $100, 2nd Prize: $50, 3rd Prize: $25

Opportunity: Winners are invited to read their poems at the Girls Conference on May 22, 2025, and the winning poem will be published in the AMI’s Working Papers in Atlantis.