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October 17, 2003
Paul Martin
Rosemary Speirs
1815 Altona Rd.
Pickering, Ontario
L1V 1M6
Dear Ms. Speirs,
I thank you for your letter concerning my position on the representation
of
women in politics. I apologize for the delay in responding.
As you know, I have spoken often about our need to address Canada's
"democratic deficit" - this idea that Parliament does
not do a good enough job in representing the Canadian people. Part
of ensuring that the democratic deficit is addressed, that Canadians
can be a part of making history, is striving to ensure that Parliament
reflects the country in all its diversity. Today only 20% of the
seats in the House of Commons are occupied by women.
I have been active in trying to bring more women into Liberal Caucus
ever since chairing the Judy LaMarsh fund in 1988. And I am still
not satisfied that we have done enough. The Liberal Party must have
a new and more aggressive focus on recruiting women to run for parliament.
The Liberal Parliamentary Women's Caucus has been working very hard
with me to develop ways to attract more women to run as candidates
in the next election, and to serve in various capacities in our
Party. As we approach the next election campaign, I will certainly
be relying on their advice in this regard.
As we all know, women have traditionally had more trouble than men
in raising campaign funds. The campaign finance reform recently
enacted by the House of Commons should level the playing field by
placing a ceiling on nomination expenses with special allowances
for childcare expenses.
We also need to make the House of Commons a more welcoming place
for people with young families. As you know, parliamentary life
is hard under the best of circumstances, but for all parents of
young families and particularly mothers, it can be prohibitively
difficult. We need to see what can be done to address that concern.
But when I ask women whether they are interested in running for
office, perhaps the most common reply I receive is the concern over
how the affairs of Parliament are conducted, and the role of the
Member of Parliament. I believe that goes to the heart of what we
need to do to reform Parliament. I want more women in Parliament
because Canada needs to draw on the ideas of the best and brightest
women, if we are to change the way things work.
And I thank you again for taking the time to write me,
Sincerely,
The Honourable Paul Martin, PC, MP
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