EV MISSION

Changing the Face of Canadian Politics

Who is Equal Voice?

We are a group of women and men who are deeply
concerned about Canadian politics and have formed a multi-partisan, non-profit organization devoted to the still-bold idea that more women must be elected to every level of
government in Canada.

Our mission is to promote the election of more women to all levels of Government and ultimately, change the face of Canadian politics.

Why do we need gender balanced governments?

While women have made many gains in the political realm over the past twenty years, progress has been slow. From about 1993 until 2011, the numbers of women elected to the House of Commons hovered around the 20% mark. Fortunately, this past federal election in May of 2011, Equal Voice celebrated a new record when nearly 25% women (24.6%), 76 women in total, were elected to the House of Commons.

Women are over 50% of Canada's population and currently comprise an average of 25% of Canada's municipal councils, provincial legislatures and the House of Commons.

Canada's international ranking on women's political representation is currently 39th (as of November 2011). Despite the notable gains in the recent federal election, Canada still has fewer women elected than most of Europe, parts of Africa, and Australia (see the Interparliamentary Union's web site for a full listing.)

Polling data consistently demonstrates women care about different issues. The United Nations has emphasized that equality in decision-making is essential to the empowerment of women, noting a critical mass is needed before legislatures produce public policy representing women's concerns.

Equal Voice aims to increase awareness about the need for gender balanced government.

Democracy should be a genuine partnership between men and women:

How can a democracy be deemed legitimate if it fails to represent half its population?
Canadians value fairness and equality. Clearly, democracy should be a genuine partnership of men and women. To this end, Canada adopted a Charter of Rights and Freedoms that reinforces this belief by guaranteeing equality for women. Despite these values, women's representation at all levels of government in Canada remains relatively low.

Canada has made international commitments to change:

Now we need action from our political parties and government. At the 1995 United Nations World Conference on Women, Canada committed to "take measures to ensure women's equal access to and full participation in power structures and decision-making" and to "increase women's capacity to participate in decision-making and leadership."

Why is Canada behind?

Canada's political parties and governments need to adopt action plans to break down barriers for women in politics. Political will and commitment on the part of leaders and their political parties is a crucual ingredient for success. As Canadians saw in this past federal election, when parties focus on fielding higher numbers of women in winnable ridings, the numbers will go up!

Equal Voice encourages political parties to be proactive in recruiting and supporting women candidates to run in winnable ridings. Parties may decide to tackle this challenge in different ways and and all parties have to identify processes that work for them.

To level the playing field, many parliaments and political parties are implementing well funded national action plans to reduce the barriers by: 1/ recruiting and training women candidates; 2/offering family friendly work environments; and 3/ introducing measures such as proportional representation, electoral financing reforms, targets, constitutional reforms, and public awareness campaigns.

Equal Voice is convinced that more women in politics will improve the opportunities of other underrepresented Canadians and create a healthier, more democratic political system.