Feature Stories

Where Have All the Women Leaders Gone?

by Dr. Linda Trimble and Dr. Jane Arscott
University of Alberta Express News (Dec 20, 2002)

Quebec Leads the Way in Representation by Women

Commentary by Linda Trimble, for CBC Radio, on women and the Quebec 2003 Election, broadcast March 16, 2003

It’s never happened before in Canadian politics. Women have never won more than 30 percent of the seats in a legislative body, federally or provincially – until Monday, in Quebec. Women captured 38 seats in the National Assembly, just barely squeaking over the 30 percent mark.

Quebec is now the Canadian leader when it comes to representing women in legislative office. Presently only a fifth of the seats in Canada’s Parliament and legislatures are held by female politicians, reflecting an electoral glass ceiling for women. Will the Quebec election change the picture? Sadly, no. It will likely be the exception rather than the rule. The upper limit of women in office is set at 25 percent for the foreseeable future.

One of the reasons is that Quebec is not typical of other provinces. It is one of only three provinces where the number of female legislators is growing slowly and steadily. Recent elections elsewhere illustrate quite a different trend - - a lack of progress in six jurisdictions, including the national parliament, and a decline in the number of women elected in four provinces and territories.

We shouldn’t be surprised at the increase for women in Quebec. Since the mid 1980s, the province has led the way in nominating female candidates and electing women. It’s a trend reflecting feminist organizing within political parties, especially the Parti Québécois, a strong women’s movement and an emerging debate about gender parity in representation.

Despite Quebec’s success in electing women, it is worth noting that, even before a single vote was cast, men were guaranteed 37 percent of the seats in the National Assembly - - more than Quebec women won on Monday, and more than women have ever held anywhere in Canada, at any time. Men were guaranteed these seats because there were either no women nominated in those ridings or because the women who did run represented parties with no realistic chance of winning.

30 per cent is good, but not nearly good enough. Quebec women have just over half of the seats that would be theirs in a political system genuinely committed to balanced, equitable and fair representation. This enduring democratic deficit is why we are still counting the number of women elected, in Quebec and across Canada, and still hoping for the kind of meaningful electoral reform that will bring more women into political office.