Girls for Climate
Meet our Interviewees
Stephanie Henry King
Municipal government candidate for Mouvement Montréal.
Stephanie Henry-King is a young professional and Villa Maria Alumni (2009) who graduated from Concordia University with a BA in Political Science. She is currently working as the Director of Client Solutions and Implementation at Leger, the largest Canadian-owned market research and analytic company.
After spending nearly a decade in the tech industry, Stephanie chose to run in the 2021 municipal election under the Movement Montreal party. She ran as City Councilor in the South-West district (St. Henri-E. – Little Burgundy – Point-Saint-Charles–Griffintown). Born and raised in Little Burgundy, Stephanie wanted to have a seat at the table when it came to the matters within her community.
Being a black woman in a predominantly male profession has inspired Stephanie to become a social activist within her community. She is extremely passionate about gender, race and class equality and equity. She is extremely passionate about breaking barriers within the tech industry.
Stephanie is also a board member of the Black Coalition of Quebec. The Coalition is at the service of all community groups and individuals in defense of their right to equal justice. She is also a member of the NCC. She has been active in the plan to reappropriate the NCC site and the rebuild of the institution.
Phaedra de Saint-Rome
Master of Public Policy candidate at McGill University.
Phaedra de Saint-Rome is a Master of Public Policy candidate at McGill University’s Max Bell School of Public Policy, a Policy Analyst at Global Affairs Canada, and the President of the Public Policy Association of Graduate Students.
Prior to joining Global Affairs Canada (GAC), Phaedra worked with the Max Bell School’s Centre for Media, Technology and Democracy, where she was involved with the Canadian Election Misinformation Project during the last federal election, spearheaded by the Centre’s Media Ecosystem Observatory.
Phaedra also previously worked with the United Nations’ Environment Programme (UNEP), staffed an MP on the Hill, and founded and led her own digital media company in support of youth-led and youth-focused civil society organizations in Canada.
Caroline Merner
Co-founder and global ambassador of Youth4Nature.
Caroline Merner, who uses she/her pronouns, is currently situated in Tiohti:áke which is known as Montreal, on unseated Kanien’kehà:ka territory. She is a climate and nature advocate.
Caroline studied sustainability and international development at Dalhousie University for her undergraduate degree. After graduating, she started a nonprofit called “Climate Guides'' with a great team of young people in Vancouver. She wanted to bring young people together to tackle climate change and start creating ideas and projects that would address it.
Caroline then created YOUTH4NATURE, which had the goal of engaging young people in mobilizing solutions for nature and climate. She is now a Masters student at McGill University in Montreal, where she is studying public policy while focusing on climate and environmental policy.
Iliana Irons
Physical Science Officer at Environment and Climate Change Canada.
Iliana Irons holds a Bachelor’s of Science degree with a major in Environment from McGill University and a Master’s of Resource and Environmental Studies degree from Dalhousie University. Following her Bachelor’s degree, Iliana worked as a purchaser at Lufa Farms, a company aiming to make food systems more sustainable.
After her Master’s degree, and for the past three years, she has been working at Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) as a physical science officer managing the clean-up of federal contaminated sites that resulted from historical activities when environmental consequences were not well understood.
In her spare time, Iliana spends a lot of time outdoors camping, hiking, and snowshoeing, and she also volunteers at the Canadian Wildlife Federation as part of the Wild Outside program for youth.
She believes that inspiring people to appreciate and connect with nature is key to educating them about the importance of environmental stewardship, conservation and mitigating against climate change.
Julie Delisle
Environmental Education Liaison at Kahnawake Environment Protection Office.
Julie Teiokeráthe Delisle works as the Environmental Education Liaison with the Kahnawà:ke Environment Protection Office.
In this role, she has been able to work closely with the community and youth to spread awareness about environmental issues impacting Kahnawà:ke.
Through this work, Julie has been fortunate enough to collaborate with other Indigenous youth from Kahnawà:ke and across Canada to advocate for the inclusion of indigenous youth voices and knowledge in climate policy.
Marina Gosselin
Environmental Projects Coordinator at Kahnawake Environment Protection Office.
Marina Gosselin has a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Sydney with a major in Geography and environmental studies. She also has a Master’s in Human Settlements and the Environment from the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile.
Most of Marina’s experience is focused on working in climate change, environmental projects, sustainable development, particularly in Latin America, where she lived and studied for 7 years until returning to Canada last year. Marina worked for environmental consulting firms and the United Nations in Chile and since returning to Canada she has been working at the Kahnawake Environment Protection Office as the Environmental Projects Coordinator for Climate Change.
Since returning to Canada Marina has been focused on learning about Indigenous culture and knowledge and how they can be applied to climate change and environmental issues so that we can heal nature and reduce the impacts of climate change on our communities.
Victoria Sandre
Policy Analyst at Natural Resources Canada
Victoria Sandre currently works as a Policy Analyst at Natural Resources
Canada (NRCan), having recently graduated from NRCan’s Policy Analyst Recruitment and Development Program (PARDP).
She has worked in various roles at NRCan, including conducting economic analysis about Canada’s minerals sector, designing and delivering clean technology funding programs, and supporting Indigenous communities on clean energy projects.
Previously, she obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemistry from St. Francis Xavier University, followed by a Master of Resource and Environmental Management
from Dalhousie University.
Outside of work, Victoria is an active individual who is constantly looking towards the next outdoor athletic pursuit, whether it be a triathlon, trail race, or loppet.