Featur e
orative approach. We also know that many women leaders actively solicit and are comfortable with honest feedback and strive to create positive, dynamic work cultures. A 2008 national public opinion poll conducted by
Environics Research Group demonstrated that eighty- five percent of Canadians support “efforts to increase the number of women elected in this country.” Women were almost universal (90%) in their desire to see more women elected, and a large majority of men (79%) also supported these efforts. With this in mind, Equal Voice has become an influ- ential force working for the election of more women to all levels of government. Equal Voice has twice secured, in 2006 and 2009, the commitment of all five major fed- eral political parties to improve upon their previous ef- forts and, respectively, nominate and elect more women. Though these efforts paid off in 2008 with nearly every federal party featuring more female candidates in the elec- tion, the rate of change is often slow and sporadic. Regardless, interest in the work of Equal Voice is evi- dent in its growth: since 2001, Equal Voice has grown from a founding chapter to a national organization with mul- tiple chapters in British Columbia, Alberta, Ontario, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Newfoundland & Labrador. Equal Voice also invites members to participate in its organization through its chapters. In so doing, EV en- courages members to bring, not park, their diverse politi- cal views to the table in an effort to explore a variety of strategies that Canada can employ to attract and success- fully field more women candidates. In 2009, with the support of the corporate sector and the federal government, Equal Voice launched its Experi- ences Program, a national mentorship and youth engage- ment program.
Since then, Equal Voice has spoken to
thousands of young women about the value of political life and the history of women’s political engagement in Canada and around the world. Over one hundred of these young women have been matched with savvy, mostly fe- male, politicians from all levels of government in Canada from whom they can learn and engage. Equal Voice has also commissioned a series of videos montages featuring several elected women who are thriving in political life. Equal Voice hopes that these role models will inspire many young women to see politics as a viable and dynamic fo- rum that would benefit from their talents. In addition, Equal Voice has launched and maintains a self-paced on-line campaign school, Getting to the Gate, which provides practical tools for women from all walks of life who may wish to run for office. An Aborigi- nal component to the campaign school written by, for and about Aboriginal women was launched just this year. Get- ting to the Gate guides women through the requirements and demands of running for public office at all levels, from Town Council or Band Office to provincial legislatures to the Prime Minister’s Office. Equal Voice recognizes that the journey to more sus-
38 Campaigns & Elections | Canadian Edition
tained and increased levels of political participation is a complex one. Not all women are the same and the entry points for women seeking office are different depending on where one lives, the level of office being sought, party affiliation and one’s personal and professional experience. This said, Equal Voice firmly believes that women’s access to the political system should be such that the outcomes for women seeking election are significantly better than they are right now. If the 21st
century is to be one where Canada strives to
make its mark, surely one of the hallmarks of its success as a nation should be a global ranking higher than its current 51st
position. For a country that prides itself on its ambi-
tion, fair-mindedness and innovation, we simply cannot expect any less.
Janet Buckmaster is the Chair of Equal Voice Alberta North and is a respected 30-year advocate and leader in Edmonton in promoting an inclusive community that supports democracy and civil society. She was nominated as a candidate for the 2007 Governor General’s Award in Commemoration of the Persons’ Case and in 2008 as a YWCA Woman of Distinction Nomi- nee in the category of Advocacy. Nancy Peckford is the Executive Director of Equal Voice. She was born and raised in Newfoundland and Labrador, a deeply political place, and still considers it home. She is currently rais- ing two young daughters with her partner Craig, a historian, and hopes to inspire at least one of them to becomes a premier, if not Prime Minister, one day. Equal Voice’s mission is to promote the election of more women to all levels of Government and ultimately, change the face of Canadian politics. To find out more about Equal Voice’s pro- grams, initiative and chapters, visit
www.equalvoice.ca
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