To ensure the health and well-being of all delegates, staff, and volunteers, Equal Voice has made the decision to hold the first-ever Virtual Daughters of the Vote Program. This means that the 2021 program will be held entirely online. 

Equal Voice is a multi-partisan organization dedicated to electing more women to all levels of political office. For more information please visit our about page and don’t forget to subscribe to our mailing list.

Daughters of the Vote is an ambitious initiative by Equal Voice that began in 2017 to mark the 100th anniversary of some women getting the right to vote in Canada, and the still incomplete journey of women’s full participation in politics today.

Thanks to support from the Department for Women and Gender Equality, and our corporate and philanthropic partners, Equal Voice will be holding the 3rd iteration of the program from March 5-8, 2021.

To ensure the health and well-being of all delegates, staff, and volunteers, Equal Voice has made the decision to hold the first-ever Virtual Daughters of the Vote Program. This means that the 2021 program will be held entirely online. 

The objective of the program is to ensure that 338 emerging young women and gender-diverse leaders, among others, become familiar with Canada’s political institutions and those women and men serving in them – so that they are equipped and inspired to participate in the formal political sphere and take action in their local communities in the years and decades to come.

Equal Voice's ultimate goal is to ensure women are dynamic and equal participants at every political decision making table in the country.

The application period for this program has now CLOSED. Thank you to all those who applied to take part!

• Applicants must self-identify as women, and/or gender-diverse and/or non-binary.
• Applicants cannot have been a delegate in Daughters of the Vote in 2017 or 2019.
• Applicants must be born on, or between January 1st, 1993 to December 31st, 2001, no exceptions. Proof of age will be required ahead of participation in the program. 
• Applicants must be fully available from March 5 to 8, 2021. Selected delegates will also be required to commit to and complete mandatory training in January and February, ahead of the program start date.
• For full eligibility criteria and to apply, please visit the application page.

In an exciting new development, Equal Voice decided to change the age requirement for participation to ensure individuals who applied for the 2017 and 2019 programs, but were not accepted, are eligible to apply for the 2021 program!

No. To ensure that as many young women and gender-diverse youth as possible have the opportunity to participate in this dynamic program, we will not be accepting applications from those who have already been a delegate.

If you are a former delegate and you are interested in taking part in the 2021 program, please consider volunteering! To learn more please subscribe to our newsletter for updates or visit our website again closer to the event date.

Applicants may choose which riding they apply to represent. A strong application will show connections and or/community engagement in the riding/community, and therefore we recommend applying for the riding you have either spent the most time in, or have engaged in the most.

Applicants will receive an email indicating whether or not they have been selected for the program by November 15, 2020. Please check your junk mail if you have not received anything from EV by this date.

If you did not receive a response by this date, please contact dov-hds@equalvoice.ca

Other inquiries regarding the status of a completed application before this date may not receive a response. We appreciate your understanding and patience as we handle a higher-than-usual level of correspondence, and must triage accordingly.

Yes. You can withdraw your application at any time. Please send an e-mail to dov-hds@equalvoice.ca to withdraw your application. We do ask that you let us know as soon as possible if you’ve made the decision to withdraw - there are thousands of applicants hoping to participate in the program.

Equal Voice is a not-for-profit organization, within limited human and financial resources. We are not able to provide individual feedback on applications at this time.

Equal Voice selection committees will be looking at how delegates demonstrate current or potential leadership, community engagement, and the positive impact this program could have on selected delegates and their ridings.

Equal Voice is committed to equity, diversity and inclusion in all of our programs. DOV seeks to provide opportunities to young women and gender-diverse youth from diverse backgrounds and lived experiences.

If you prefer not to disclose this information in your application, there is a “prefer not to say option."

If you are not sure how to answer the question in the application, here are some examples of possible responses (noting these are by no means exhaustive):

I am a two-spirited, proud Cree from the Saddle Lake First Nation.

I am a white cis-gender woman who grew up in the small town of Tofino.

I am black, and identify as gender non-binary. I grew up in the city of Moncton, NB.

I am a Muslim woman born in Ottawa.

I am a hearing-impaired francophone woman.  I use the pronouns she/her.

I am a trans-woman who comes from a middle-class background.

I am a young anglophone immigrant, born in Kenya, who lives in Montreal.

I am a queer Jewish woman born and raised in Edmonton.

I prefer not to say.

No. DOV is a program intended to engage young women and gender-diverse youth in the formal political process. We are not looking for previous political experience or engagement as part of the selection process.

Among other things we are looking for individuals who would benefit from learning more about our political institutions, and are interested in getting more involved. Prior experience is by no means required!

No. While we will take all recommendations into consideration, the DOV program is open to individuals regardless of political experience or networks. A recommendation from an elected official does not guarantee your acceptance into the program, however reaching out to your local MP could strengthen your application, and can be included if you wish.

Equal Voice is a not-for-profit organization, within limited human and financial resources. We are not able to provide individual feedback on applications at this time.

However, here are some tips for writing your application:

1. Be authentic. We want to know who you are and why you and your community would benefit from your participation in the program!
2. Complete the entire application. Incomplete applications will not be considered. If you don’t know the answer to a question, it’s okay to say that. Tell us something else about yourself!

The Equal Voice team is working hard to build an exceptional program for the event. We are still in the earlier planning stages, but selected delegates can anticipate programming from 11:30 a.m. EST to 2:30 p.m. EST, plus additional optional programming, from March 5 to 8, 2021.

Note: these tentative program times are subject to change. Equal Voice will do its best to communicate all program changes as early as possible.

Yes. Delegates are expected to be fully available and attend events for the duration of the entire official program from March 5-8, 2021. 

There will also be mandatory training (approx. 6 hours) for all selected delegates prior to the official program start date.

Yes. EV can provide a letter to delegates confirming their participation in the program. EV cannot, however, provide medical or legal notes for employers or educational institutions. Whether or not your employer or educational institution accepts the letter is at their sole discretion.

We encourage delegates to meet with their MP if they are comfortable doing so. In the past both delegates and MPs have found these meetings very enriching. EV cannot guarantee that you will have the opportunity to meet any individual or elected official ahead of, during, or after the program. EV will not be organizing one-on-one meetings between delegates and MPs; however we will facilitate contact with consent from delegates.

Delegates are not obligated to meet with their MP, and meeting any MP is not a requirement of the program.

Equal Voice will work with delegates who do not have access to internet services or a computer at home to ensure they're able to fully participate in the program, including those from remote communities.

EV will reimburse delegates for childcare during official programming. 

EV is still in the planning stages of DOV 2021, but will be providing the following services/resources to delegates:

• Reimbursements for costs related to childcare.
• Counsellors/support workers available for the duration of the program.
• There will be Indigenous Elders available for the duration of the program.
• A third-party ombudsperson will be available to help resolve any issues relating to harassment, bullying, or conflict that may occur.
• Subject to date and time availability, volunteers will be made available to attend virtual meetings during business hours with delegates who may not be comfortable or are nervous about attending on their own (i.e., meeting an MP or Senator).

Yes. However, Equal Voice will work with delegates who do not have access to a computer with a camera and/or microphone at home to ensure they're able to fully participate in the program.