Denise Bougie overcame addiction to work in trades

Earning journeyperson status is an important achievement for anyone who works in a trade.But for Denise Bougie, it's especially significant.

She had to overcome challengesincluding being incarcerated for drug trafficking and a drug addiction of her own to earn her Red Seal, and she hopes her story serves as an inspiration to others.

Bougie credits her turnaround to a visit from her newly born granddaughter.

"I was in prison [when]my first grandchild was born," said Bougie, during an interview on CBC's Saskatoon Morning."I could only see her through a glass wall ... I just knew that this wasn't the life I wanted."

After her release on parole, it was during a tour of the Saskatchewan Polytechnique's Moose Jaw campus that she decided to become an electrician.

"We went through the electrical department there and we were able to do some wiring on an extension plug,"Bougie said. "It just felt really good ... the dexterity with your hands to be able to do that, and to know [how] to do it properly."

Even with her resolve, Bougie found heading back to school challenging and she felt out of place as she began training.

"It was tough, there were a lot of young people ... and all men," Bougie said.

After working over 7,200 hours as apprentice, Bougie's most recent accomplishment was becoming ajournyperson. She had to take the test a second time after failing to pass initially.

"When you pass [they] send you big envelope, so I checked the mail and I saw a big envelope and I just started shaking because I knew I passed," Bougie said. "I opened it up and I had an 83 per cent."

At this point,Bougie has never had the opportunity to work alongside another woman in her new career. That's something she would like to see change.

"I think it'sjust a great thing for afemale to get into the trades, there's so much opportunity," Bougiesaid.

She thinks many women don't considergoing into a trade because of misconceptions about what the work is like.

"We've still got heavy lifting to do, but we've got tools to use to help with it," she said.

"It doesn't matter what size of a woman you are, you can get into this."