Senate staff diversity under a microscope
The Senate is taking a fresh look at how women and minority groups are represented in its staff. A subcommittee of four Senators launched a study on diversity in the Senate staff last week, a couple of months after a report on that subject was tabled by the Senate administration. The Senate bureaucracy is also planning to […]
Canadian politics might be drastically different if there were more women involved
International Women’s Day is a day to celebrate the achievements of women. It’s a day to acknowledge the hard work and extra bit of persistence it takes to be a successful woman in today’s world. But it’s also a day to take a long look at the to-do list of gender equality, and realize there’s […]
Poverty is sexist: what Canada can do this Women’s Day to fight it
Globally, 130 million girls are denied the basic right to education, meaning 130 million missed opportunities for girls to reach their full potential and help their communities and countries grow. Before launching a career in television, I was an electrical engineer and still have a passion for math, science (and weather patterns, of course). I’m […]
It could take 20 election cycles, ‘or 90 years,’ before House reaches gender parity, says Equal Voice
PARLIAMENT HILL—At the current rate of change, it could take 20 election cycles before women reach gender parity in the House, Equal Voice Canada is predicting, according to new data that reveals one-quarter of Canadians think gender parity in the Commons will never be achieved. Equal Voice and Abacus Data released new, nationwide survey data on Monday that […]
Parliament Hill will be overrun by women this week
OTTAWA—This week, Parliament Hill will be overrun by women. Normally, that is not so unusual, as the majority of political and bureaucratic support staffers are women. But this time, 338 young women will be taking seats in the House of Commons. Daughters of the Vote, a major national gathering spearheaded by the multi-partisan Equal Voice, […]
Conservatives risk losing their war to win a battle
There are no doubt many bread-and-butter Conservative voters who care little about the rhetoric flying back and forth over Liberal MP Iqra Khalid’s Motion 103, denouncing Islamophobia. Lower taxes, smaller government, a strong criminal justice system—those are ballot-box issues for many of the party’s core voters. But they should care about the debate around M-103, for […]
Bowling alone in the White House
In a 1995 essay, Bowling Alone: America’s Declining Social Capital, political scientist Robert Putnam lamented a decline in the social interaction that is so integral to civic engagement, democracy, and a country’s fundamental cultural fabric. In the U.S. he saw people disengaging from clubs, associations, voluntary organizations, even the Boy Scouts. In his view, the […]
Electoral reform agenda may be over, but democratic reform is not
The electoral reform agenda has been a long and emotional roller coaster for many, but the ride now appears to be over. After months of consultations, meetings, town halls, surveys, discussions, and debates, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told the new Minister for Democratic Institutions, Karina Gould, that “changing the electoral system will not be in your mandate.” […]
Women’s March on Washington a model for the Trump era
The protests and demonstrations continue apace in these first few days of the Trump administration, the most recent focusing on the “Muslim ban” executive order. It is too early to say which ones might move the levers of government, but with the Women’s and Sisters’ Marches the day after the presidential inauguration, a model has […]
MPs on Trump’s ban and Canada’s diversity during Jan. 31 emergency debate:
Liberal MP Salma Zahid (Scarborough Centre, Ont): “Take this past weekend, for example. On this one weekend alone, I attended the following: the Lunar New Year celebrations with the Chinese community and with the Buddhist community at a Buddhist temple; the debut of a documentary exploring the contributions of the Pakistani diaspora in Canada; […]
