EV CHAPTERS
NOVA SCOTIA CHAPTER 
IN THE NEWS
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Backbencher: Beyond the snake pit.
Who's needs Obama when you've got Nellie Gordon?
Halifax Chronicle Herald
May 2010
At a time when so many people view politicians with cynicism and distrust, how can we ask women - who still face many barriers to entry - to enter a career that seems so disagreeable? On May 13, Equal Voice Nova Scotia (EVNS), a multipartisan, volunteer organization committed to increasing the role of women in politics, held a “community conversation” to consider two questions: “What is good about political life?” and “How do we get beyond the snakepit version of politics. We used the currently running CBC radio drama series, Backbencher, as the catalyst. This article summarizes the responses to our questions.
Wendy Lill, who served as MP for Dartmouth South beginning in 1997, developed Backbencher. The series dramatizes the experience of “Nellie Gordon,” who unexpectedly won a by-election in the imaginary riding of “East Nova.” The heroine of Backbencher is not exactly Wendy Lill - Nellie is a paramedic single mother with a nose ring - but she shares and benefits from the real MP’s mixed but worthwhile experiences.
The EVNS community conversation brought together women and men involved in electoral politics at all levels. The NS Advisory Council on the Status of Women and the Local Council of Women, Halifax were our partners and sponsors in this event. We listened to Wendy Lill, actor Joanne Miller, and producer Peggy Hemsworth describe their work on Backbencher and how it reflects politics today. The discussion then raised key points of interest to anyone who wants to end the “democratic deficit,” especially those of us who hope to get more women in all parts of government.
Here are some key benefits of political life, reflected in brief quotes from our community conversation:
- “You get to work on things you believe in.” Being a politician is worthwhile. Politics is a way to make change; it’s slow, but it happens. Politics’ goal is to serve the community - a good and attractive purpose. And a lot of valuable work takes place off stage, in committees, in caucus, and back home.
- ”There’s no life like it.” Politics is a fascinating, energizing career. There’s a “rush” that comes from meeting the challenges in such a fast-paced environment.
- “Everybody is trying.” Political colleagues are “wonderful” - the great majority has good intentions. Media’s focus on leaders and conflict, however much it makes for lively stories, distorts what actually happens. Even the strongest partisans agreed that it is often possible to work across party lines.
- “People come up to you in the street and thank you.” There are two parts of politics: legislative politics, or what is done in the House, and community politics, in relation to the people in the riding. Every elected representative can be helpful to constituents by helping them navigate the maze of government services, for example. Voters who say they despise “politics” in general, actually respect and appreciate their own representatives.
And here are comments about getting past the snakepit:
- “We need a wife for the women.” Electing women isn’t enough; we must also support them in office. Legislatures are workplaces that tolerate practices no other private or even public sector workplace would. We should find ways to make public service more respectful and less stressful. At present, every politician needs an exceptionally supportive family to even seek electoral office.
- “People ask: why don’t we have a Barack Obama here? A Nellie Gordon will be good enough.” Nellie Gordon gives a voice to the backbenchers who are most of the people we elect. They are ordinary people like us. EVNS works to help more women join them.
Signed: Naomi Black, Louise Carbert, and Brigitte Neumann, Steering Committee, Equal Voice Nova Scotia
Backbencher website (where you can hear episodes you might have missed): http://www.cbc.ca/backbencher/
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Challenges still there, say women politicians, Halifax Metro
By: Alex Boutilier
8 March 2010
While more and more women are entering politics, they still face significant challenges, according to two high-profile Nova Scotian politicians.
Halifax MP Megan Leslie was elected just more than a year and a half ago. The 36-year-old says she still experiences sexism, albeit in subtle forms, on Parliament Hill in Ottawa.
“I can’t tell you how often people within the parliamentary precinct or in that work environment will say, ‘Oh, so who do you work for?’ as, of course, I must be a secretary,” Leslie said yesterday over coffee in Halifax. “When I got there, no one patted me on the ass or anything. I think we’re beyond that ... but I am treated differently.”
As a female politician younger than 40, Leslie is very much in the minority among MPs on the Hill. But she thinks while women are still underrepresented in the House of Commons, numbers aren’t the only consideration. As Green party Leader Elizabeth May put it to her, she’d rather have 308 male feminists than 308 female Thatcherites.
“It’s not just about women for the sake of women, or symbolism for the sake of symbolism,” Leslie said. “But there is something to be said about that. Because then girls will think ‘I could do that, that is something I could do. It’s within the realm of the possible.’”
Bedford-Birch Grove MLA Kelly Regan agrees women still face discrimination in the public sphere. In fact, she spoke to Leslie in Ottawa after Leslie placed third in the “Sexiest Female MP” category by The Hill Times.
“She spoke to me (about) just how mortifying and trivial it was,” said Regan, a Liberal MLA elected to the Nova Scotia legislature last June. “Occasionally, some people will make reference to (the) looks or whatever of a woman, which I don’t think they’d be talking about a guy that way. That’s annoying.”
Regan doesn’t believe female politicians are so different from their male colleagues.
“In some cases I would say we’re less partisan, but I know some very partisan women,” she said. “I’d rather have a conversation with somebody than go after them in the house. Nonetheless, that is the system we have and I’m prepared to do that when necessary.”
For Leslie, it’s not so much a matter of addressing specific issues or policies that affect women, but understanding that all issues and policies affect women.
“I would say the most important issue is to look at all issues through a gender lens,” she said. “How are women excluded from this policy, how can women be included by this policy, how can we look at the world critically through a gender lens?
“That requires a shift in how we do things.”
Women in government
Halifax regional council boasts a higher percentage of female representatives than the provincial and federal governments — nine out of 24, or 37 per cent. A record number of women, 12, took office in the 2009 Nova Scotia election, but still only make up 23 per cent of the 52-seat legislature. Federally, the ratio is slightly worse — out of 308 representatives in the House of Commons, 69, or 22 per cent, are women.
June 12, 2009: Equal Voice Nova Scotia Congratulates Women Elected to Provincial Legislature 
Government is Us - A "do-it-yourself" Civic-Education Workshop
This workshop covers the basics of how parliamentary democracy works, and shows women just how easy (and delightful) it is to become involved in the political process.
Download all the pieces, and host a workshop for your friends or organization.
In 2008, we celebrated the 250th anniversary of the first representative government in this country - right here in Nova Scotia. That should mean: representative of us. Come to a workshop about how the institutions of democracy work and should work. Topics include: our parliamentary system, our constitution, and how to get involved with political parties and elections.
For support, write: equalvoicenovascotia@gmail.com
Objectives:
The purpose of this workshop is to show women just how easy (and delightful) it is to become involved in the political process. It is specifically directed to adult women, those who are wondering how to take their community service to the next level. For those many women who are not yet active in public life, this workshop hopes to ignite their enthusiasm for taking on greater responsibilities.
Who should present this workshop?
- Community members and leaders; any women interested in politics
- Teachers
Recommended Audiences
- Women’s groups, formal or informal
- Library-based groups
- Community centre-based groups
- University/college student groups
All the pieces you need to do your own workshop are right here.
- Handbook
- Objectives
- Set-up: Technical considerations
- Frequently asked questions
- Logistical checklist
- Suggestions for discussion questions
- Suggestions for additional resources
- Handout of slide presentation for participants
- Title page to accompany slide handout: MSWord file, to be adapted for each workshop
- Feedback form for participants
- Facilitator's tracking form
- Publicity poster: MSWord file, to be adapted for each workshop
- Written text to accompany slides: Adobe Acrobat file.
- Slide presentation: Adobe Acrobat file
Acknowledgements
This workshop package was prepared by Naomi Black and Louise Carbert in Halifax, Nova Scotia, in 2009. Naomi Black is Professor Emerita of Political Science and Women’s Studies at York University and Adjunct Professor of Women’s Studies at Mount Saint Vincent University in Halifax. Louise Carbert is Associate Professor at Dalhousie University in Halifax
Many people helped prepare and test this package. We particularly thank Brigitte Neumann (Executive Director of the Nova Scotia Advisory Council on the Status of Women), Ruth Bishop, and Eve Burns.
Elections 2008
Congratulations to Megan Leslie, the new member of Parliament for Halifax. 14 women were candidates for 11 federal electoral districts in Nova Scotia. Only Megan Leslie was elected. Our admiration and appreciation goes out to all the women who put themselves on the line in this election; thank you.
Municipal elections across Nova Scotia were October 18. Only 3 of 71 candidates running for mayor were women; one was elected mayor - Marney Simmons of Mulgrave.
Of 750 candidates running for municipal councillor, 181 (24%) were women and 569 (76%) were men. As was the case in 2004, women now comprise 21% of the 437 municipal council positions (mayors and councillors)in Nova Scotia. Women also comprise 43 of the 91 people elected to school board positions. Citizens for Halifax has posted interviews and profiles of HRM candidates; www.citizensforhalifax.ca
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