She did it!
Mission’s Christine Jamieson has been crowned Miss Canada for 2019.
The announcement was made Saturday night in Montreal during the Miss Canada pageant.
There were 37 contestants from around the country participating in the event, but in the end, it was Jamieson’s name that was announced.
“Shock! Shock is a very good word to describe it,” said Jamieson as she explained how she felt when she heard her name called out.
“The Miss Canada Pageant is very similar to the Miss BC Pageant in where it focuses on personality and self-presentation as well as the charity work you do,” she explained.
READ MORE: Mission woman wins Miss BC Crown
Jamieson spent the last week in Quebec and said she was thrilled to have the opportunity to meet so many other women from across the country who do amazing things and have stories that are so inspiring.
“For the judges of the competition to see that my story is worth being heard by the rest of Canada is amazing.”
When she was younger, Jamieson went through a tough time and, although she knew something was wrong, her physicians could not pinpoint a cause. Some attributed her feelings to being a moody teenager.
However, when she was 16, Jamieson was diagnosed with epilepsy. She was also dealing with depression. That started her involvement with mental health and epilepsy groups.
Last year, she entered the Miss BC contest to share her story. Winning the pageant has allowed her to do more than that.
READ: Mission woman wants to share her story
In her role as Miss BC, Jamieson had the opportunity to help raise thousands of dollars for organizations she is passionate about, including the SPCA, but she focuses on groups and causes specifically related to mental health and epilepsy.
She is now working with the Canadian Epilepsy Alliance, the BC Epilepsy Society, and the Center for Epilepsy and Seizure Education.
While her story was compelling, it took more than that to win the crown.
Jamieson explained that 50 per cent of the competition is judged before the gala evening. Half of the event is based on the contestants’ personality, teamwork and how they interact with other people at activities set up by pageant organizers.
During the past week, all the contestants were taken ice skating, to a spa, laser tag and other events so that judges could assess how they interact. They were also asked to fundraise for Opération Enfant Soleil, a charity based out of Quebec that supports child pediatric care.
The second half of the judging takes place during the pageant itself.
During the gala, contestants are asked to make a 30-45 second self presentation. From there Judges selected the top 10 finalists.
Those 10 contestants then have to answer the question “What does your province bring to Canada?”
After that the top six finalist are announced.
With Jamieson in the top six, she was asked to answer one final question – “If you were Miss Canada what would you want the world to know?”
While she can’t remember exactly what she said, Jamieson obviously did enough to win the title.
“I spoke a lot about how I believe that each person is inspiring and we need to share the stories that piece together Canada as a nation.”
Now that she has won the Miss Canada Title, Jamieson plans to continue and expand all the work she’s been doing.
“I’m actually meeting with a couple of people while I’m here in Montreal to talk about creating programs for mental health. When I get back to B.C. I’m going to continue to do that and continue to, hopefully, inspire and make positive change in the world.”
As for being Miss Canada, Jamieson said there aren’t a lot of commitments.
“You don’t have a lot of set duties and responsibilities, they give you opportunities throughout the year that you can take.”
Those opportunities include travelling across Canada, speaking to people in all the provinces and competing, possibly, internationally – though she’s not sure if more pageants are in her future.
“I am 27. I am at the top age limit of a lot of the international competitions, but I would like to represent Canada internationally for sure.”
Being Miss Canada also has other benefits as well.
“There are quite a few perks, from having a travel budget to material things like dresses and shoes and sponsorships that all comes with it.”
