The Globe and Mail reports, “Brigette DePape, the rogue page, missed her convocation ceremony Sunday at the University of Ottawa because she was too busy doing media interviews. The 21-year-old became an instant celebrity Friday after she silently disrupted the Speech from the Throne by holding up the ‘Stop Harper’ sign she had smuggled in under her skirt. She was escorted out and fired from her job in the Senate, but says she is elated by the positive reaction to her 20-second act of civil disobedience.”
The newspaper adds, “She has also gotten a few job offers that she’s now considering, but says her focus is on building a strong ‘resistance movement’ and says she is looking forward to some coming rallies. She has won the support of high-profile documentary maker Michael Moore, who featured her on his website Sunday. The offers of employment have come from the Public Service Alliance of Canada, the Council of Canadians and from a journalistic organization, she said.”
The Tree Reading Series website notes that beyond writing plays, “Brigette also writes non-fiction, including opinion editorials and for the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives. She has undertaken research in Senegal on the World Social Forum, in Bolivia on coca growing, in Winnipeg’s inner city on childcare for Indigenous children, as well as on Palestinian refugees who have been separated from their families. She is also involved in activism and helped to spearhead the Mining Justice Ottawa group. She aspires to be an activist/artist/academic.”
Council of Canadians chairperson Maude Barlow, who called Ms. DePape on Saturday to congratulate her on her action during the Throne Speech, said, “She is adorable and brave and committed.”
