This Affects Trust in Government
Legitimacy
Voters view decision-making bodies with gender parity as more trustworthy, fair, and democratic
Credibility
Lack of gender parity signals to other countries that Canada isn’t meaningfully committed to equality
Representation
Accepting men’s over-representation reinforces perceptions that women don’t belong in politic
But we’re losing ground. Canada is falling behind our democratic peers.
And Canadians are shocked to learn we rank 71 out of 181 countries
> Down from 28th in 2000
By accepting incremental change rather than embracing the systemic measures common elsewhere, we now lie outside of democratic norms.
The solution is clear
Women’s representation only meaningfully increases when gender parity rules are mandatory.
Comparative international research conducted by Dr. Jennifer Piscopo of Royal Holloway, University of London documents this. Require parties to run equal numbers of men and women, including in winnable ridings. Those that fail to comply, face a meaningful penalty that undermines their ability to compete.
It’s not complicated; it’s not costly; and it’s not even controversial:
Elected to carry out Canadians’ wishes, you can choose to collectively champion this change.
In the process, you can make Canada more democratic, increase our international standing, and secure both gender parity in politics and your place in history for having done so.