Why are women not represented well in Canadian politics?

[Sarah89]

After all this time we have never had one candidate for a female Prime Minister. The U.K and Australia have had a female prime minister and the U.S has had female candidates and now a female vice president.

What do you think is the reason for this in all honesty that Canada seems to be lagging on this?

[jigglysquishy]

Kim Campbell was a candidate. Technically the PM too, but there is no denying she was the candidate in 1993.

The NDP were led by women from 1989 to 2003.

[Architype]

There have been a few female premiers. BC, NT, PEI, Yukon, NL, Nunavut, Alberta, Quebec, and Ontario have all had female premiers. I guess we're still waiting for Sask., Manitoba, NS, and NB as the laggards

[hipster duck]

A leader of a major Federal party should be fully bilingual and also play to the immigrant-heavy suburbs of Toronto and Vancouver that determine elections.

The bilingualism requirement narrows the playing field substantially for both sexes and immigrants tend to be more reluctant to accept women in positions of leadership.

[Architype]

We are also on par with the US, where ~30 states have had female governors, compared to 9 Canadian provinces or territories which have had female premiers. We have ~100 women elected to the 338-member House of Commons, which may just reflect an actual gender divide in professional choice.

[Sarah89]

Originally Posted by Architype

We are also on par with the US, where ~30 states have had female governors, compared to 9 Canadian provinces or territories which have had female premiers. We have ~100 women elected to the 338-member House of Commons, which may just reflect an actual gender divide in professional choice.

There are no female premieres currently.

[scryer]

Originally Posted by Sarah89

There are no female premieres currently.

I forget, is there a gender quota?

[JHikka]

Originally Posted by Architype

I guess we're still waiting for Sask., Manitoba, NS, and NB as the laggards

Elizabeth Weir was leader of the NB NDP for one or two seat victories in the 90s and 00s but a woman has never lead either the PCs or the Liberals.

[Architype]

Originally Posted by scryer

I forget, is there a gender quota?

The progressive quota is about 50%, true representation would have to reflect actual demographics.

[rousseau]

Originally Posted by Sarah89

After all this time we have never had one candidate for a female Prime Minister. The U.K and Australia have had a female prime minister and the U.S has had female candidates and now a female vice president.

What do you think is the reason for this in all honesty that Canada seems to be lagging on this?

As others mentioned, Kim Campbell was actually prime minister for a short while.

Kathleen Wynne is one of the few politicians I can honestly say that I've ever really liked in any way, both in terms of policies and personality. Canada might be a bit behind the times when it comes to female leaders at the national level, but as the premier of Ontario Wynne lead the largest political jurisdiction in the world that any lesbian woman had ever done, and her orientation was a complete non-factor at her appointment when McGuinty stepped down and in the two subsequent elections she stood for.

I'll harp on these bona fides till the cows come home. I think it says a lot about the state of perceived misogyny in Canadian politics.

[Architype]

Originally Posted by rousseau

As others mentioned, Kim Campbell was actually prime minister for a short while.

Kathleen Wynne is one of the few politicians I can honestly say that I've ever really liked in any way, both in terms of policies and personality. Canada might be a bit behind the times when it comes to female leaders at the national level, but as the premier of Ontario Wynne lead the largest political jurisdiction in the world that any lesbian woman had ever done, and her orientation was a complete non-factor at her appointment when McGuinty stepped down and in the two subsequent elections she stood for.

I'll harp on these bona fides till the cows come home. I think it says a lot about the state of perceived misogyny in Canadian politics.

Do you see her as the "iron lady" of Ontario? Apparently she admired Thatcher for her "purpose, resolve and determination".

[rousseau]

Originally Posted by Architype

Do you see her as the "iron lady" of Ontario? Apparently she admired Thatcher for her "purpose, resolve and determination".

Nah, I wouldn't say that. Sure, she had intelligence and resolve, but she was far too centrist and empathetic to be compared to Thatcher.

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by hipster duck

A leader of a major Federal party should be fully bilingual and also play to the immigrant-heavy suburbs of Toronto and Vancouver that determine elections.

The bilingualism requirement narrows the playing field substantially for both sexes .

Is there a blind spot I am missing here? Assuming you are referring to non-francophones, what makes non-francophone women less likely to be bilingual than non-francophone men?

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by hipster duck

immigrants tend to be more reluctant to accept women in positions of leadership.

Are we even allowed to say this in 2021? I guess you have "hipster" in your user name so perhaps it goes over better...

[Sarah89]

Originally Posted by rousseau

As others mentioned, Kim Campbell was actually prime minister for a short while.

Kathleen Wynne is one of the few politicians I can honestly say that I've ever really liked in any way, both in terms of policies and personality. Canada might be a bit behind the times when it comes to female leaders at the national level, but as the premier of Ontario Wynne lead the largest political jurisdiction in the world that any lesbian woman had ever done, and her orientation was a complete non-factor at her appointment when McGuinty stepped down and in the two subsequent elections she stood for.

I'll harp on these bona fides till the cows come home. I think it says a lot about the state of perceived misogyny in Canadian politics.

Kathleen Wynne was only in charge for like what? four years and never got re-elected. Kim was apparently a default PM and served a few months (from what I've read).

[Sarah89]

Originally Posted by Architype

Do you see her as the "iron lady" of Ontario? Apparently she admired Thatcher for her "purpose, resolve and determination".

To make an ''Iron Lady'' comparison it would have to be to a long serving, elected female prime minister though. Which Canada has never produced.

The fact that the United Kingdom elected a female Prime Minister in 1979 shows how much more progressive they were then Canada or the USA. USA almost had a female president. Canada is still stuck in the stone age when it comes to women in politics and I'm not afraid to say it.

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by Sarah89

To make an ''Iron Lady'' comparison it would have to be to a long serving, elected female prime minister though. Which Canada has never produced.

The fact that the United Kingdom elected a female Prime Minister in 1979 shows how much more progressive they were then Canada or the USA. USA almost had a female president. Canada is still stuck in the stone age when it comes to women in politics and I'm not afraid to say it.

There are various circumstances that allow women to rise to leadership positions, and it's not necessarily indicative of anything profound as these are often one-offs.

I think I'd still much rather be a woman in Canada than in India, Turkey or Pakistan even if these countries have had Indira Gandhi, Tansu Ciller and Benazir Bhutto as PMs.

[Architype]

Originally Posted by Sarah89

To make an ''Iron Lady'' comparison it would have to be to a long serving, elected female prime minister though. Which Canada has never produced.

The fact that the United Kingdom elected a female Prime Minister in 1979 shows how much more progressive they were then Canada or the USA. USA almost had a female president. Canada is still stuck in the stone age when it comes to women in politics and I'm not afraid to say it.

Is this the only measure of how progressive they are? I suspect Canada is more progressive in other ways. I think it's just by chance that they had a female PM and we haven't.

[Loco101]

Originally Posted by rousseau

As others mentioned, Kim Campbell was actually prime minister for a short while.

Kathleen Wynne is one of the few politicians I can honestly say that I've ever really liked in any way, both in terms of policies and personality. Canada might be a bit behind the times when it comes to female leaders at the national level, but as the premier of Ontario Wynne lead the largest political jurisdiction in the world that any lesbian woman had ever done, and her orientation was a complete non-factor at her appointment when McGuinty stepped down and in the two subsequent elections she stood for.

I'll harp on these bona fides till the cows come home. I think it says a lot about the state of perceived misogyny in Canadian politics.

Wynne is probably one of the best politicians out there. She has never in politics for personal gain or to make it all about herself. Her knowledge about all parts of the province is incredible unlike Ford. The funny thing is that she has actually provided Ford with advice and help numerous times behind the scenes. Ford even admitted it. He and his government weren't nice to Wynne for awhile after the PCs defeated the Liberals but once Ford became extremely unpopular after about a year of governing his government has been quite respectful to her.

For those who don't know, Kathleen Wynne won her riding of Don Valley West in 2018 and is still an MPP. She regularly attends at the legislature and MPPs of all parties consult her on many things due to the fact she was Premier, held various cabinet positions before that and had a vast knowledge of so many things.

[Loco101]

Originally Posted by Sarah89

To make an ''Iron Lady'' comparison it would have to be to a long serving, elected female prime minister though. Which Canada has never produced.

The fact that the United Kingdom elected a female Prime Minister in 1979 shows how much more progressive they were then Canada or the USA. USA almost had a female president. Canada is still stuck in the stone age when it comes to women in politics and I'm not afraid to say it.

While Thatcher was definitely female, she was quite conservative both socially and economically. Her government was anti-LGBT.