Women In Canadian Democracy

Words: 640
Pages: 3
Open Document
The fact that Canadian women are underrepresented in both federal and provincial parliaments demonstrates not only that Canada is behind globally, but also that Canadian democracy is being compromised because of their inequality. Women are underrepresented provincially and federally in Canadian politics. In 1921, out of 235 seats, only one women was included, Agnes McPhail. McPhail became the first women elected to the House of Commons. While the decades following her election saw a steady growth in women’s representation in Parliament, progress remained near the 20% level between 1997 and 2006. The 2011 election increased the percentage of seats held by women to 24.7%. After the current, 2015 election, the number of seats occupied by women …show more content…
Although Canadians elected 88 female MP’S, increasing the female representation to 26%, Canada is still short of the 30 per cent mark that the United Nations suggests leads to a shift in policy and practice in government. It also does not do much to improve Canada’s 50th-place ranking out of 190 countries on “proportion of national-level female politicians”, according to the Inter-Parliamentary Union, an international organization of parliaments – mainly since other countries have made much larger strides on the issue of female representation. In the Legislative Assembly of Alberta, women occupy 30 seats out of 87, representing 34.8 per cent, while in the Legislative Assembly of Quebec, women occupy35 seats out of 125, representing only 28.2 per cent. Even after the 2015 election, not much has been done to increase the number of women represented provincially and federally, considering women representation only increased one …show more content…
In September 2008, Rwanda became the first country to have more female members of Parliament, roughly 56 per cent, than male. By May 2010, twenty-four countries had succeeded in meeting the 30 per cent critical mass target. One quarter of these are Nordic countries, which have made longstanding efforts to increase participation of women. Another quarter are African countries. In the October, 2014 election in Bolivia, women held 69 seats out of 130, representing 53 per cent. In Mexico’s June election, 2015, women gained 211 seats out of 498, representing 42 per cent. In Sweden, 45.3 per cent of the elected candidates were women in the 2002 election. Out of the 349 seats, women occupied 158 of them. In the cabinet, almost 50 per cent of ministers are female (10 out of 22). All parties acknowledge the importance of involving women in politics and have well defined goals for women’s participation in politics. Compared to other parliaments, it is clear that women are underrepresented in
Show More

Related Documents: Women In Canadian Democracy

Essay about Woman and Canadian Politics

members of the Canadian parliamentary system. With the first Canadian women being elected into the Canadian parliament in 1921, women have had the ability to participate and become elected into the House of Commons. Since then, Canadian women’s participation in the House of Commons has substantially increased from 1 female seat holder in 1921 to the present day 64 seats held by women. Although this increase is seemed as substantial, the debate about the underrepresentation of women in politics has…

Words 1711 - Pages 7

Charter Of Rights Essay

In my opinion, the Declaration of the Rights of Man and the Citizen had inspired the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Most of the rights assured by the Declaration have also been in the Charter. For example, the statement "Man remain free and equal in rights." originated in the Declaration, has stated on the legal rights of the Charter. Although the Declaration might be a vision rather than a reality, the Charter of Rights and Freedoms is the upgraded Declaration. It was during the French…

Words 443 - Pages 2

Civics: Democracy and People Essay

1a) In a democracy, decisions are made “by the people.” This means that the citizens that inhabit a democratic country make decisions based on their opinion. Therefore they have freedom of speech. It may be a direct democracy or an indirect democracy. It does not matter. The people are still voting and decisions decided by a majority rules. In order for a democracy to occur, the decisions must be made by the people. 1b) Freedom to make your own views known is important in a democracy. For…

Words 1862 - Pages 8

Pierre Trudeau's Influence On Canada

signed and entrenched in the Canadian Constitution. Under the leadership of then Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau, The Charter of Rights and Freedoms was enacted on April 17, 1982, to become the most visible and recognized part of the Canadian Constitution and is intended to protect certain political and civil rights of people in Canada from the policies and actions of all levels of government. Since its introduction in 1982, the Charter has had a powerful influence on Canadian federalism, while also contributing…

Words 1557 - Pages 7

Canada: Criminalizing Pornography Essay

regarding the danger and degradation of women. The opposition to this movement was that pornography was a freedom of expression and sexual orientation. This brought about many political debates and controversies about what is ethically right and what is a personal freedom. This created many problems for the Canadian government on how to legislate pornography and up hold the Common Rights of Canada. First Legislation on Obscenity and Criminal Law In 1959 the Canadian government passed the first law regarding…

Words 1819 - Pages 8

How Did Ww2 Affect Canada

The Impact of World War 2 on Canada Thushani Wars are tragic conflicts that make up most of Canadian history. World War Two was a global war that is marked by the mass deaths of civilians and the strategic bombing of industrial and population centres. Casualties include, the six million Jews that were persecuted in the Holocaust and the 220,000 people that died due to the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Furthermore, Canada contributed to this “total war” by playing…

Words 807 - Pages 4

Essay on World War I and Military Voters Act

but glorious war, high levels of unemployment at home, and a surplus of young single men all combined to create a rich environment for recruiting. Wages offered by military serving were generally attractive in a depressed economy. Among French Canadians recruiting was much less effective, due in no small part to ham fisted direction by Sam Hughes who had a long history of fanning anti-French, anti-Catholic sentiments for political gain.[1] Opposition to conscription did not mean opposition to the…

Words 651 - Pages 3

Carmen Garcia Documentary Essay

make profit even if it means killed people and being unethical. Democracy is a system of government in which all the people of a state are involved in making decisions about its affairs, typically voting for something. Democracy is something that is at risk because in this day and age corporations are running the world and corporations just don't understand the term democracy. In fact, corporations have often tried to undo democracy if it is an obstacle to their single-minded drive for profit. In…

Words 1102 - Pages 5

Law and Juries Essay

precedent 6. Criminal acquittal cannot be appealed Pro’s Anchors legal decisions in the community  make a strong tie btwn what goes on in the court and the community, the community therefore has a say on legal decisions Reflects our commitment to democracy  political authority rests with the community Builds flexibility and common sense into the legal system Creates a check against judicial power Con’s Discretionary powers too large  make them say why they made that decision, justify their decision…

Words 593 - Pages 3

Summary Of Women, Power, Politics By Sylvia Bashevkin

In Women, Power, Politics: The Hidden Story of Canada’s Unfinished Democracy, Sylvia Bashevkin highlights the lack of female presence in Canadian politics (2009:3). She associates this problem to a general social unease with women being put in a position of power, stepping into the public life instead of staying in the private sphere (Bashevkin, 2009: 10-1). Furthermore, she emphasizes the problematic ways in which politician women are represented by the media (Bashevkin, 2009:10-1). In brief, she…

Words 468 - Pages 2