BC's Surge of Female Candidates
'We're behind Iraq and Afghanistan in elected women': NDP's McNabb.
Leslie McNabb, New Dem running in Comox.
British Columbia is paradoxical when it comes to gender equality in politics.
On one hand, we are a province of firsts: Rita Johnson (appointed premier in 1991) was the first woman in Canada to head a provincial government, Mary Ellen Smith (appointed to B.C. cabinet in 1921) was the first female cabinet minister in Canada, and in 1991, we had proportionally more women representatives (25 per cent) than any legislature in the country.
But since then, British Columbia's representation by women has been trending downwards -- unlike most jurisdictions which have held steady or increased, says Lynda Erickson, an SFU professor who specializes in Canadian politics.
At the annual convention in November, members passed a motion requiring the party to nominate women in 30 per cent of seats not currently held by the NDP. The decision generated some controversy at the time, but since then, the NDP have surpassed that goal; 42 of its 85 candidates are women.
As a result, this election will see more women running for office than any other election in B.C.'s history.
Although that's no guarantee there will be more females sitting in the 39th legislative assembly, here's a look at a few ridings that have the best shot of boosting the current number (16 of 77 members), and why some say it matters.
Comox Valley
Leslie McNabb is the NDP candidate here, one of the NDP's female-designated ridings. The odds of this long-time forestry worker winning the race increased with the death of Liberal incumbent Stan Hagen, a veteran politician and cabinet member, in January. Courtenay councillor Don McRae was nominated to run for the Liberals instead.
McNabb acknowledged that Hagen's death did "open up the field."
"It's hard to knock off an incumbent and it's harder to knock off an incumbent who was a minister," she says. "I don't think it will change the campaign or strategy much."
Although this will be McNabb's first campaign, she's no stranger to politics. Through the United Steelworkers, she has lobbied the provincial and federal governments on childcare, labour and safety issues, and has served as a mediator
"I have always been ready to stand up for myself," she says. "Going into the logging industry 30 years ago wasn't the easiest thing to do but the pay was really good. I tried being a daycare worker, a flight attendant, and those things paid really, really lousy money."
McNabb says that she wishes the NDP didn't have to set a quota for women candidates, but thinks it's necessary.
"When you look at the fact that we're behind Iraq and Afghanistan in terms of elected women, I think something has to change."
Port Moody-Coquitlam
This is another NDP female-designated riding, one that Liberal incumbent Iain Black won by a six point margin in 2005. This time, he's being challenged by Dipper Shannon Watkins, a 27-year-old former Port Moody councillor.
She says she does try to appeal to women when she is campaigning.
"It's interesting to see who comes to the door and who's making decisions in the house," she says. "Quite a few men come to the door and say 'Oh, I'll talk to my wife about it.'"
"In terms of women and equity, childcare is a big issue. I don't have children but there are a lot of candidates who do have young families and my hat goes off to them."
Port Moody-Coquitlam is a riding Black will have to fight hard to keep. According to Tyee analysis, newcomer Pat Zanon is another woman who could wrestle a seat away from Liberal Dave Hayer, in Surrey-Tynehead.
Will the NDP's strategy elect more women?
"Historically, if you look at the representation of women, it's not necessarily a great strategic way to go," says Paul Kershaw, a UBC professor who specializes in gender politics.
"I don't think any political party can campaign with a woman or a man in a particular riding as a strategy," he says.
However, Kershaw does think the possibility of elected a female premier could attract some women voters in the same way that Hillary Clinton's campaign did.
"The problem is that Carole James hasn't so far really marshaled all that much interest in her as a political leader," he adds.
"I think the most interesting question is, why don't women tend to run for office as regularly as men?"
One of the reasons, according to Kershaw, is the fact that women are less likely to take jobs that require them to travel and be away from their families, because they typically carry most of the burden of running a household.
Mary Polak, the Liberal incumbent in Langley, says the move to a set schedule and the elimination of night sittings in the leg made a big difference for female members.
"In the past, to have to be there until nine every night in the week meant that they couldn't travel home," she says. "Certainly, we are always on the lookout for more things to modernize what we do as a legislature."
Polak says that, in her experience, not enough women get themselves involved at the campaign level. "And women in business are far less likely to donate than men," she says.
'More women in caucus makes a difference'
Women also tend have less confidence in their skill set, says Jane Staschuck, director of women's programs at the B.C. Federation of Labour.
In March, she ran a campaign workshop in Harrison aimed at women involved in NDP or union campaigns. It included separate streams, one for beginners that addressed the basics, and one for those ready to take campaign management roles.
"Initially, I though there would be double the number of people in the basic stream, but it was surprisingly even," she said.
"Women are starting to really get why having more women in caucus makes a difference when it comes to talking about issues like pay equity and child care and quote unquote women's issues," she said.
"Those issues become the priority for the government when you have a broader range of women at the table, rather than just lobbying all the time."
Vancouver-Fairview is one riding where a female MLA is guaranteed (all three candidates are women), although it won't increase the proportion of women currently in the leg since the incumbent is the NDP's Jenn McGinn.
Newcomer Vanessa Violini, the Green candidate, says her reason for running was the party's strong support for BC-STV.
"With the system that we have now, what happens is it leaves a high percentage of voters without real representation. It also distorts the gender balance. In countries that have proportional representation, there are more women and minorities. I think it gives a more accurate representation," she said.
Related Tyee stories:
- Are We Ready for Women in Politics?
From Stronach to Clinton, opinion is mixed. - Women's advocates call for end to provincial discrimination
- Can We Elect a Woman?
Carole James now must survive where "alpha males" vie "for control of a baboon group." To win, she'll have to change B.C.'s political culture.
![[Tyee]](http://thetyee.cachefly.net/ui/img/ico_fishie.png){kind=small}
Wilf Day
20-04-2009
Electing women
What will BC-STV do for women?
Take your example of Port Moody - Coquitlam. In the four Tri-Cities ridings we see, along with 27-year-old Shannon Watkins, incumbent NDP MLAs Mike Farnworth and Diane Thorne, plus another new candidate Heather McRitchie.
No disrespect to Mike Farnworth, but he was first elected municipally in 1983. In the 2013 election, assuming he runs again, he'll be a 30-year veteran. I expect he'll have the nomination if he wants it, under any system. But if BC-STV is in place, voters will then have a choice of the old or the new.
Would his name recognition ensure his election over a younger woman? Not if he runs one time too many, young voters decide to give youth a chance, and voters want to elect more women.
In Ireland in 1997 Beverley Flynn, only 31, beat two male Fianna Fail incumbents to win one of two Fianna Fail seats in five-seat Mayo district. And that was in a political culture that doesn't vote for women. Remember, 90% of Canadian voters say they want to see more women elected. Give them a chance, and we'll see if they vote for them.
Tony Martinson
20-04-2009
Oh my god it's not all about STV
The STV zealots need to give it a rest. Goodgodawmighty there are things to talk about other than flipping STV.
alive
20-04-2009
Enough already!
Back in 1927 my mother was a "Redsock" in my native Denmark, that was the way females indicated their fight for equality.
At that time they had every right to feel discriminated against!
But time has changed our society to a point where gender equality is used to push females into jobs they may not be suited for (firefighters cops etc.)
Maybe by now we need to start to look for a person best suited for a particular position, rather than which gender or minority needs representation?
At the time when my mother participated in marches and demonstrations, they also had plenty of females who were eager to get involved in party politics, but today there is no such rush to have a go at it.
Perhaps women are more realistic than men and can see it is a thankless job trying to work for any political party?
One thing for sure is that we do not need anyone parachuted into a position regardless of their qualifications!
Wilfred Laurier
20-04-2009
Great Numbers
"but since then, the NDP have surpassed that goal; 42 of its 85 candidates are women."
How many will be elected? I'd wager it will be single digits.
dgiVista.org
20-04-2009
Justifying tweaking candidacies
you know, all i know is that there has already been some good justification for the NDP's gender policies:
http://politicsrespun.org/2009/04/some-justification-for-ndps-gender-policies/
Skywalker
21-04-2009
I'm with alive on this
Enough already. There has never been anything in place to prevent women from going into politics. Why they don't has nothing to do with any party's rules. Give it all a rest and just pick the best person for the job.
Chris H
21-04-2009
Carbon tax hypocrites
It seems strange that people think a slight tax on gasoline is going to significantly change anyone's driving habits. It's not the tax that effects peoples driving habits but the price! So, as the price of gas slipped these last few months, who felt the need to cut back on unnecessary driving trips?
If the Campbell government were serious in this way, they would regulate gas and make the price of gasoline somewhere between $1.50 and $2.50 a liter. That would make people significantly change.
But, they lack the principles to do what they say they believe in. Are we surprised? At least the NDP aren't pushing something, that in the end, is pretty useless.
Second Nation
21-04-2009
"Female"?
Why is it that media folk feel the need to use the word "female"?
In this case is it to be inclusive of all the girls who are running as MLA candidates in addition to the women candidates?
Or perhaps it is meant to be inclusive of non-human species (e.g. female badgers, female sea lions)?
crh
21-04-2009
alive
"One thing for sure is that we do not need anyone parachuted into a position regardless of their qualifications!"
My first thought reading this was George Bush Jr.
Sorry, but it happens all the time. The system still supports who has the most money and influence to everyones detriment. I for one think that more women in politics would offer more balanced governments. There is just to many white middle aged men running around parliaments.
nightbloom
21-04-2009
"Why is it that media folk
"Why is it that media folk feel the need to use the word "female"?"
Because that's correct English.
Saying "woman candidates" is incorrect (just as "man candidates" is incorrect).
And - fyi - "Wimmyn candidates" is even more incorrecter...
Gabe
21-04-2009
Tired of hearing it
If there's a glass ceiling or other discriminatory policy at work, in a political party, or anywhere else, both women and men have two choices: figure out how to change the situation or move on.
That's equality, ladies and gentlemen - the freedom to make the choice, regardless of gender.
Apparently, the genders tend to choose differently. So what? It's an interesting statistic, not a problem to be remedied.
G West
21-04-2009
skywalker
I can't believe YOU wrote this:
There has never been anything in place to prevent women from going into politics.
Until 1918 women couldn't even vote and they weren't considered 'persons' until, what was it, 1929, when Emily Murphy and Nellie McClung took on the parliament and the courts and won.
Even in the slave holding southern USA - prior to the Civil War - black men were considered to be 2 or 3 fifths of a 'person'.
reallife
21-04-2009
More on the topic
Anne Edwards' book "Seeking Balance: Conversations with BC Women in Politics" covers this topic in detail and is an excellent read. Anne is a former NDP MLA and BC Minister of Energy and Mines.
Skywalker
21-04-2009
G West
I was referring to the bylaws and constitution of a political party. You're right about the franchise but that is another issue
Wayne Smith
21-04-2009
Change the system
The problem for women is not getting elected, it's getting nominated in winnable ridings. Winner-take-all voting provides strong disincentives to nominating anybody who is "different", including women and any kind of minorities.
When parties have to run a slate of candidates in a multi-member riding, the incentives are different - the strategy is now "something for everyone".
Parties talk a good game about bringing in more women, but nothing ever changes. If you want to change the behaviour, you have to change the system.
Vote for BC-STV on May 12!
Skywalker
21-04-2009
Well G West...
...my experience is that there are just as many incompetent women in any field as men. That is a kind of equality as well. What you advocate would demand you designate 50% of the seats specifically to women only. That would open up another discussion. We'll agree to disagree
PatrickMcEvoyHalston
21-04-2009
NDP does seem as if it's the
NDP does seem as if it's the old timer's leftist party. Boring.
Dan the socialist
21-04-2009
The riding association
The riding association members should pick the candidate they want to run and not by affirmative action.
There are slightly more females than males in BC and Canada and if anyone wants to run regardless of gender or sex should be able to, quota's like Ms. James has done is not right and she will pay for it next month.
Actually Ms. James has caused rifts within the party over this and I will be glad there will be a new leader before the year is up.
G West
21-04-2009
But, Skywalker
In virtually every field the decision makers are not women - they're men.
And that's the problem the party's rule is designed to address.
If men had done such a good job of representing the interests of women and children, I'd assert, we wouldn't be in the mess we're in now.
But, as you put it, we'll leave it on the table and agree to disagree - I'm not sure which of your categories that puts me into Patrick, but I'll accept the reality that the left is (whether old fashioned or not) a lot more vital and progressive than the right.
And, a lot more willing to debate issues like this than the BC Liberals or the federal Harperites are.
That, I'll conclude, puts us (even when we disagree Skywalker) on the side of the angels, so to speak.
C'est la vie!
DPL
21-04-2009
What I find insulting is
What I find insulting is when Gordo or any other male politician shows up in the media no one ever wrties or talks about the suit, or the haircut. A woman candidate shows up and the comments about what she is wearing is usually the first item. I sometimes believe if a woman candidate showed up with her hair on fire, somebody would mention her pearls or her suit. The NDP set a quota to increase the women candidates so le'ts live with it. And lets not forget that two women stood their ground against overwhelming odds in the Legislature in 2002. Women hold up half the sky is a old saying. Lets see more of the in the Ledg.
G West
21-04-2009
Niether Margaret Thatcher nor Carole Taylor
Were Progressive nor Social Democrats.
We are - we're different - and we bend over backwards to NOT be like Thatcher and Taylor - if we have to adopt their methods to gain power it isn't worth it.
Keep on keeping on my friend - that's the difference between democratic socialists and the rest of these characters - we care and we try to make things better for everyone - not just for the cream at the top of the bowl.
Cheers my friend - I heard Stephen Lewis speak at an event last Friday and I think he's as good an avatar as any - and he firmly believes that the single most important element in saving the world is giving more power and authority to women.
And I agree with him wholeheartedly. And with you too DPL. Thanks.
reality_check
21-04-2009
good women, bad women; good men, bad men ...
That's equality for you!
I hope though that these women don't try to draw parallels with the situation of women in Afghanistan. Speaking of which, I am opposed to the idea (even though I deplore the Talibans' actions), because forcing onto this religious freaks anything is counter-productive. But I digress!
Many women make as much money as men for the equivalent position (especially young women), as described in many research (but, of course, not the types that women organizations would like to make public)!
Even though, I am for some adjustment made to salary and experience when women raise children (although, men should be allowed the same benefit).
PatrickMcEvoyHalston
21-04-2009
ViveanLea: I might
ViveanLea: I might formulate my opinion of the NDP based on HOW things are said here. There's a lot of Green hate right now on this site. That deters. (Setting up Nader so that by all rights he should be prosecuted for war crimes, is, for example, very offensive to me.) If NDPers are capable of voicing real hate for other lefties, then I distrust how they will treat people, if they got in power. It is possible for me to imagine that if the NDP got in, they could actually turn out to be rightest. For some sense that this would not be the case, I attend, in part, to how they treat their "peers." If they make them seem as if their dissent is a crime against humanity, worthy of persecution, then I won't be all that keen on seeing them in power. Better, in my judgment, would be to see growth in a less punitive party (if that is in fact a fair way of characterizing the Greens), let more people encounter, be influenced by their voice.
By the way, if Gore had gotten in, he would have gone into Iraq as readily as Bush did. Nader would never have, regardless of the populace's pleas for satisfaction through war.
DPL: I've thought that all the NDPers, of either sex, shown on this site so far, dress very drably. This concerns because it suggests to me a suspicious attitude, a discomfort towards happiness/presumption. Progressives like me who like colour and open smiles, have right to worry about people like that--they go after us first.
TarWill
21-04-2009
Best Man for the Job
It looks to me as if the NDP is forcing women to run even if they aren't the best candidates for the job!
Whatever happened to running the best? This just goes to show how ignorant the NDP are! Since when did you have to be a certain colour or gender to be allowed to run in a particular riding?! Whatever happened to freedom of choice?!
This is not democracy it is dictatorship!
This is why I think it is great that we have independent candidates like David Marley and Vicki Hunntington running for the provincial legislature. They present a choice - a way for us to protest our rights being taken away by parties who dictate who can run where!
nightbloom
22-04-2009
"Woman" is a noun, not an
"Woman" is a noun, not an adjective. 'Female candidates' is correct.
I am totally in favour of more women running for office. I'm also in favour of more female CEOs, just as I'm in favour of more men in the classrooms and hospitals (a persistent and un-addressed gender imbalance that accounts for why the current recession is being dubbed the "He-cession").
However, I'm totally against quotas. That's the worst way to guarantee representative outcomes. You'll end up with an embarassing crop of mediocrities that do long-term damage to the cause.
What is it about running for & holding public office that turns women off (as turning off lots of good men)?
Skywalker
22-04-2009
Patrick McEvoy
Your rationalization for your position is really scraping the bottom of the barrel. I don't know how you make the leap in logic that everyone who despises the Campbell thugs must be NDP or must dress drably. But carry on if that is your only method of getting Green support.
G West
22-04-2009
Nah!
Woman, or women is just fine Nightbloom.
As for quotas, sometimes they're the only way and your argument on the basis of candidate quality fails on first principles.
This is an election - people vote, for a wide variety of reasons - that have sweet bugger all to do with the 'quality' of the candidates - the current crop of mediocrities in power is the only evidence one needs to prove THAT point.
Let's take, for example, Stephen Lewis, on the basis of his qualifications he'd never pass muster and didn't even graduate from university.
As for woemn's status in this culture, yep, a lot of them are still employed at menial, minimum wage jobs...but even so, on average, women are paid from 68 - 75 per cent of what men get for doing the same work.
As for what turns people off politics, the main reason is that it's a corrupt system - no one wants to be associated with such a racket unless they're a megalomaniac like Harper, Ignatieff or God forbid, Gordon Campbell - just like the military and the police - the whole structure is rotten to the core.
Patrick - NDPers 'dress' drably?
Really!
Keep swinging bud, you'll give 'em a cold!
VivianLea Doubt
22-04-2009
completely irrelevant
On that note, I will simply announce to the world that I am wearing red pyjamas with white and pink reindeer on them that I got for Christmas. However, I don't actually celebrate Christmas, even though I love reindeer. Oh, I forgot to say I am a woman...and have been hard at work since 6 am lest I be accused of being lazy lying around in my pjs...
And on another completely irrelevant note, I am really enjoying the smell of new-mown lawn, even though I don't really support lawns...
I hope this isn't too subtle.
Peter Dimitrov
22-04-2009
Ennui- I think not!
"ennui" I do not think so!..Rather, there is a culture of "disengagement" and "hopelessness" that cuts across many classes and ages of people, who rightly or wrongly see mainstream politics as a means to corruptly enrich and privilege the already privileged and powerful..Also, there is the 'informal' drug economy of BC within which many are engaged and benefit...so why participate in mainstream politics when there is minimum benefit to you, perceptively and actually, eh? just what do you get by voting, a Legislature whose power is consistently trumped by the Premier's office and his or her non-elected political appointees in myraid institutions from the courts, to Crown Corps, to WorkSafe BC, to University & College Boards, etc.etc. ...then there is hockey, entertainment, gambling, alcohol, drugs, video games, plus the demands of paying rent/food/tuition/cellphone, learning English as a second language, etc. Politics, is it even on the "to do" list of average folks...800,000 people not registered to vote in BC supplies insight into the considerable "culture of disengagement"...perhaps there are just better, more interesting, more creative, more urgent things to do with one's life?
Fii
22-04-2009
??
"But time has changed our society to a point where gender equality is used to push females into jobs they may not be suited for (firefighters cops etc.)"
I doubt any woman is "pushed" into being a cop, nevermind a firefighter!!! Any woman who wants to haul around a hose and run into burning buildings has chosen that career all on her own :)
BC Boy
22-04-2009
Girl ridings and boy ridings
Good grief, people, get a life!
The NDP is making an error with this silly affirmative action. It's no guarantee that the winning female MLA will be a winner. There's been a few women who did run for politics and were just bloody awful at it. There were others that were very good at it. Same with boys.
Support and elect based on the best person who can do the task of representing the local constituents. That has nothing to do with anatomy.
What's next? Designating ridings as "girl ridings" and the others as "boy ridings"?
Joy McPhail had a good line in describing the various Ministries in government.
There were "girl Ministries" and "boy Ministries".
and doesn't this affirmative action place
equality in a bit of a paradox? Makes the NDP look a bit hypocritical?
G West
22-04-2009
BC Boy
Wrong..voting has sweet bugger all to do with picking the 'best' of anything - surely you don't think that do you?
The people who opposed giving women the vote used exactly the same kinds of arguments you have.
Think about it.
VivianLea Doubt
23-04-2009
trampling daisies
"...perhaps there are just better, more interesting, more creative, more urgent things to do with one's life?" quoting Peter Dimitrov.
Hmmm, I cannot think of anything more interesting, creative, or urgent than to imagine and participate in the remaking of the world. But there is an element that rings true in what Patrick is saying...if one rereads this thread these are the same arguments that are posited as "history"; i.e. the same arguments that have been put forward for decades. And eerily, stunningly, this thread follows those same arguments I have been following as I research a sociology paper...Where to go, G West?
Rod Smelser
23-04-2009
Hold it G West - Time to update the data
G West
...but even so, on average, women are paid from 68 - 75 per cent of what men get for doing the same work.
Those would be the raw figures. When statistical corrections are made for education, experience, and other factors the gap is more like 10 to 15 percent.
The key ingredient in lower overall job market positioning of women is occupational stratification, whether by personal choice or social assignment. Forty years ago there were less that 5% of women in skilled trades, and about the same in most professions. Today roughly half or more of new lawyers and doctors are women, but women in the trades are still less than 5%, just as men in nursing is still very low.
Occupational stratification appears to be more persistent in middle income skilled occupations than in higher income, university educated professions. I really have no idea why.
Overall, some of this discussion of BC NDP affirmative action policy reminds me of the darker moments in the Democratic Primary contest between Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. An entire generation of women, as represented by NOW VP Olga Vives, were actually prepared to say that Obama was "the less qualified man" again stealing a job opportunity from a highly qualified woman. The description, of course, was completely false, but that didn't stop these people one bit.
I once asked one of the brighter party insiders why on earth the NDP policy had chosen to create two classes of affirmative action candidates, women on the one hand, and all others (Aboriginals, non-whites, LGBT, disabled), and then to give a three to one priority on finding women? Do you know what he told me? With a perfectly straight face he said that some minorities such as South Asian Males were already over-represented in the BC Legislature compared to their share of the Census population. I found myself quite involuntarily gasping for air.
BTW, G West, in case you haven't heard, Obama won.
VivianLea Doubt
23-04-2009
22 days to the degree...
G West, I hazard a guess that everyone posting on this thread wants a more representative legislature. (Could be some exceptions.) The point is, we have to reframe, I believe. Here we have the same arguments that have played out ad infinitum: group differentiated-rights versus individual rights, backlash against perceived interest groups, even the PC language debate. Where's the vibrancy, the elasticity, the colour?
Although on that note I am now dressed in sophisticated black, right down to the pearls...Now, that's not an irrelevancy. I'm off to present some research findings and understand the language of my audience and how to present myself to their expectations. But after all, wouldn't it just be so much better if the expectations could be a little freer, a little juicier...
In that spirit, I will put on my red boots. And for no other reason than too much seriousness is a bad thing, I leave you with a couple of lines from Dorothy Parker:
(A Fairly Sad Tale)
...
The lad's I've met in Cupid's deadlock
Were - shall we say? - born out of wedlock.
nightbloom
23-04-2009
"Those would be the raw
"Those would be the raw figures. When statistical corrections are made for education, experience, and other factors the gap is more like 10 to 15 percent."
Good point. The other gap no one likes to talk about is the productivity gap. University-educated professional males are still up to 30% more productive over the course of their careers than their female counterparts. Equal pay for equal work indeed.
I've yet to see a study on relative workforce remuneration levels that factors in use of benefits, such as maternity leave and other medical benefits accessed predominantly by women. I'm talking actual usage of benefits. I suspect the remuneration gap would close even further.