IN THE NEWS
May 2, 2003
Peter MacKay

Rosemary Speirs and Donna Dasko
Equal Voice

Dear Ms. Speirs and Ms. Dasko:

Thank you for your letter concerning my plans to increase the number of women in Parliament. I appreciate the opportunity to outline some of the ideas I have to address the under-representation of women in the House of Commons.

I am committed to ensuring the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada seeks excellence in our candidates and that my Party reflects the modern face of Canada.
I am proud of the federal PC Party’s history of supporting initiatives to achieve both equality and equity. We need to continue that tradition in encouraging female candidates to run for public office. There must be a genuine effort to reach into communities and encourage women to run, particularly in “winnable ridings.” This will require greater outreach by the Party.

Women still face different hurdles than men in seeking elected office. The challenge of achieving a balance between family and elected office is often quoted by women as a reason not to run. We must be sensitive to that consideration and establish appropriate support systems so that potential candidates are not lost to the Party or the House of Commons. The difficulty in raising funds is another factor cited by women as a reason for not running for office. Clearly, in order to achieve equality of opportunity for women to be elected to the House of Commons, political parties must seriously look at ways for women candidates to be able to run credible campaigns. This may mean party headquarters contributing to the campaigns of women candidates. At the PC Party’s Annual General Meeting in August 2002 in Edmonton, over 200 delegates attended a meeting devoted to how the Party might increase the participation of women in politics. One of the recommendations from that meeting calls for the reactivation of the Ellen Fairclough Fund to raise and ensure adequate funding for female candidates.

In your letter, you suggest changing the Elections Act to introduce proportional representation as a means to more accurately reflect the make-up of the Canadian population. I have addressed the issue of proportional representation in the past, suggesting that a system requiring each MP to be elected with at least 50 per cent of the vote be examined. Voters would choose candidates in order of preference – 1, 2, 3, and 4. We need to explore alternative systems of voting in Canada if we are to be serious about improving our democratic practices.

The Progressive Conservative Party has a strong history of women actively involved in all levels of politics. I am personally committed and determined to promote genuine efforts to increase the participation of women in politics and the election of female Progressive Conservative MPs in the next general election.

Yours sincerely,

Peter MacKay
www.mackay2003.com
Leadership Candidate
Progressive Conservative Party of Canada

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