FEWO Committee Report
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Dissenting Report from the Conservative Party of Canada
Supporting Women in Politics While Respecting Their Merit
Introduction
The participation of women in politics is of great importance to the Conservative members of the Standing Committee on the Status of Women. During the study, the committee had the opportunity to hear from more than one hundred witnesses who each offered a perspective worthy of careful consideration. The Conservative members are submitting this dissenting report in order to draw attention to a number of points the Liberal members of the committee voted down and were therefore excluded from the main report. This was in spite of the fact witnesses discussed these themes at length.
There’s no doubt that Canada is greatly enriched by the participation of women in all levels of political leadership. Women make up half of Canada’s population. Therefore, to accurately represent the Canadian public, the participation of women in the political realm is much needed. While women should be encouraged to run for political office and should be free to do so without reprisal, they should be given the benefit of gaining a seat based on merit, rather than being used as a token to meet a government-dictated quota.
The previous Conservative government, under the leadership of Prime Minister Stephen Harper, created opportunities for women to take positions of leadership within both the private and public sphere, including elected office. During Harper’s mandate, the number of women in the House of Commons and at the Cabinet table increased to levels not previously observed.
Conservatives remain dedicated to making sure women from a diverse set of backgrounds are able to pursue political office free of barriers. This should be a grassroots, democratic effort, that protects the freedom of women.
The Power of Running on One’s Own Merit
Conservatives believe that women deserve rightful recognition as strong leaders within their workplaces. In its chapter entitled, “The Role of Political Parties in the Recruitment of Female Candidates”, the committee’s report outlined and highlighted specific testimony with regard to implementing gender quotes so as to increase the number of women in politics.
Though the Conservative Party of Canada understands that quotas can be well-meaning, they often suggest that a woman is not at the table based on her own merit, but solely based on her biological gender. A consequence of the quota approach is that it can leave a woman wondering if she was given a seat at the table purely based on the organization’s need to fill a seat with a woman in order to meet an artificial measure or based on her own hard work and value.[1]
Quotas undermine a woman’s merit. If a woman is nominated as a candidate in order to fill a quota, she will never know if she is there because she is capable and qualified, or only because of her gender.[2] [3]
Using quotas within the electoral process delegitimizes the democratic process.[4] Canadians are capable of choosing strong candidates without government interference.[5]
Women are strong, powerful, and free to positively impact Canada’s political realm and have the intelligence and work ethic to gain their rightful place in public office.
The Power of Diversity
Canada is a diverse nation. It is a country that weaves multiple cultures, religions, viewpoints, and ethnicities together. Canada’s elected representatives should reflect this unique diversity. There needs to be room for differences within Parliament and for people of all political opinions to be represented.[6]
Encouraging and seeking to bring more women into politics on all levels means bringing in a more diverse group of women that represent different parties, ethnicities, and beliefs.[7] [8]
The House of Commons, along with provincial and municipal government bodies need to reflect the Canadian public. There is no wrong way to be a woman, and by extension, there is no wrong way to be an elected official. There are many ways to be a successful woman and a successful representative. It is up to each woman to choose her path.
Sadly, not all parties appreciate the diversity that exists within Parliament. Some women are mistreated by female members of other political parties because they fail to adhere to the same ideologies. This is a significant barrier that wasn’t addressed in the final report.
Multiple witnesses emphasised that peer-to-peer harassment by women exists and that women can often hold other women back more extensively than men do. Harassment from a woman’s female colleagues is prevalent in the political realm.[9] [10]
The Conservative Party also recognizes that women of all backgrounds and views need to work together and for each other so as to provide training and mentorship for one another. Working together, and toward a compromise, can ensure that there are a greater number of women in elected office.[11]
The Power of Mentorship and Training
An alternative to implementing quotas to increase the number of women in politics is an approach that relies on an increase in mentorship. The vast majority of Canadians believe in equal opportunity for men and women and it’s clear that women are just as capable as men. By increasing the social network that women can call upon to provide advice, opportunities and experience. This can help break down some barriers that are in the way of women succeeding in politics.
Mentorship and training are influential tools that must be used to increase engagement from women in politics. Without legislating increases for women in politics, we can empower women of all ages to continue to become politically involved, by mentoring and providing role models to them and encouraging the capable, intelligent women in our own lives to run for political office.[12][13][14]
This mentorship and training are needs to be relevant and needs to triumph, and must come from other women, but also from the men in a women’s life.[15][16][17]
The Conservative Party of Canada also believes it is very important to offer non-partisan training to women who are thinking of, or who are running for, political office.[18] We believe this training must not only come from the government, or from political parties, but from groups of strong people who can train others.
Conclusion
There are many ways to be a successful woman and it’s up to each woman to choose her path, which is why economic choice is the greatest measure of equality. Do women have the same freedom as men to pursue the career of their dreams? Do women have the same freedom to prioritize caring for a child or loved one as men do if that is what they choose? Do women have the same freedom as men do to start their own business? Does Canada’s cultural framework afford women the freedom to choose part-time work over full-time work without feeling of lesser value? Do women feel free to choose a job that pays less but is more fulfilling without being pushed by the government to pursue a career where women are under-represented?
Autonomy must be granted. Freedom must be protected. Choice must be respected.
Recommendations
In response to the report that was tabled by the committee, the Conservative members of the Standing Committee on the Status of Women put forward the following recommendations toward helping women succeed in the political realm. These recommendations were omitted from the final report by the Liberals, but they express important points made by witnesses who testified during this study.
Harassment faced by Women
- 1. That the Government of Canada, through Status of Women Canada, and in cooperation with Statistics Canada research the prevalence and impact of harassment faced by women from other female colleagues.
Engagement of Men (amendment to Recommendation 5)
- 2. [That the Government of Canada, through the Status of Women Canada, increase funding for organizations and projects that] “promote the engagement of men as champions of women entering politics.”
Women are Strong, Powerful, and Free
- 3. That the Government of Canada, through Status of Women Canada, create an awareness campaign that focusses on women’s ability to run for elected office on their own merit, because they are strong, powerful, and free to positively impact Canada’s political realm and have the intelligence and work ethic to gain their rightful place in public office.
[1] “I think I addressed that briefly by saying that I'm not a number. I'm not a percentage, so if anybody sees me as somebody...they might always wonder whether I got there just because I'm a woman. I don't want any part of that.” FEWO, Evidence, June 14, 2018, 1600, Hon. Deborah Grey, (As an Individual)
[2] “In my opinion the quota approach is the wrong way to address the problem of recruiting more women candidates, for several reasons. The biggest one is that I believe it causes more harm than good to the goal of electing women to public office in the long term. Firstly, quotas are arbitrary. They are a metric established and once that quota target has been reached, it sends the message that no more work needs to be done—we have our quota list, issue managed. Oftentimes in order to meet the quota, political parties will nominate candidates in ridings where they are unlikely—or even highly unlikely—to be successful. If they're not going to win in a general election, then this does nothing to further the cause of electing more women candidates to public office. Secondly, candidates elected under a quota system frequently face the often unfair perception that their ability to fulfill the role of being an elected official is secondary to their gender. It leads some to call into question the merit of their candidacy and their ability to perform the job.” FEWO, Evidence, September 26, 2018, 1535, Mr. William McBeath, (Principal with Canadians for Democracy and Prosperity; board member of the Southern Alberta Chapter of Equal Voice)
[3] “In fact, I think what the government is already doing, such as introducing quota systems, further marginalizes women and creates an environment where we're taking women who are perfectly meritorious and saying that it's because of their gender that they get a position…. I think that's demeaning and condescending to women who otherwise are perfectly qualified. I feel that the quota system that the present government has introduced is harmful and demeaning to the spirit of equality of women, and I don't feel that government policy has a place in making what are essentially societal changes.” FEWO, Evidence, June 7, 2018, 1550, Ms. Shal Marriot, (As an Individual)
[4] “Yes, I'm unequivocally against the quota system. I think that, especially here, being elected to one of the highest offices here in the House of Commons or in the legislatures across the country, having a quota system goes against the very principle of democracy. People should be electing who they want to see in Parliament and in legislatures, so if you're saying that the only way you're going to get there.... If my success is contingent upon this categorization of myself by nothing but my gender.... That isn't something I think of when I wake up in the morning. I don't think, oh, I'm a woman and therefore my life is going to be structured this way. No, I have to go to work; I need to make breakfast; I need to do this and whatever else. ” FEWO, Evidence, June 7, 2018, 1510, Ms. Michaela Glasgow, (As an Individual)
[5] “As you're a government, I would encourage you to do nothing on the subject of women in politics. I do not believe any policies can be implemented that would shift the attitude about women in politics today. Rather, change must take place on the individual and societal level by first shifting the very way we talk about women in politics.” FEWO, Evidence, June 7, 2018, 1540, Ms. Shal Marriot, (As an Individual)
[6] “Simply, there are correct and incorrect political opinions to have, and if you have an incorrect political opinion, then you're not really representing women. Each time a woman speaks, she is thought to be speaking on behalf of her gender. An example of this, I think, can be seen in the abortion discussion, where women who are pro-life are slandered as anti-woman and ostracized because of their opinion. This tyranny of the opinion of women is not brought about by men who have the luxury of speaking independently for their gender; rather it is the habit of women themselves who place obligations on the entirety of their gender and who are all too willing to dismiss views that run contrary to popular opinion as incorrect and in opposition to the very fundamental notion of equality for women.” FEWO, Evidence, June 7, 2018, 1540, Ms. Shal Marriot, (As an Individual)
[7] “No, no, there are questions of intersectionality. Sometimes it's a problem that we think of this dichotomously—man and woman—but absolutely not; there has to be outreach into ethnic communities, visible minority communities, lesbian and gay communities to make sure our parliament is representative of all the different facets of Canadian society.” FEWO, Evidence, June 12, 2018, 1705, Mr. William Cross, (Professor Department of Political Science, Carleton University, As an Individual)
[8] “Women are not a monolith. Women are 52% of the population. Of course there is great diversity among women, with any number across the ideological spectrum, across the economic spectrum, and across any kind of policy preference spectrum. The argument I would make is that our deliberative democracy inside parliament would be made better by bringing all of these diverse experiences forward into parliamentary debate. That is the real benefit, for me, in having a gender-equal parliament, for sure.” FEWO, Evidence, June 12, 2018, 1705, Ms. Melanee Thomas, (Associate Professor, Department of Political Science, University of Calgary, As an Individual)
[9] MP Rachael Harder: “My next question is to Status of Women. You've made it clear that harassment is one barrier that women face that often would perhaps prevent a woman or that a woman would give as a reason to not enter into politics. Often, when we talk about harassment, we talk about the actions of a man towards a woman. Do you have any information with regard to the harassment that women face from their female colleagues?”
Ms. Justine Akman: “I'm not aware of any research that's looked into that.”
FEWO, Evidence, June 5, 2018, 1700, Hon. Rachael Harder, (Member of Parliament), and Ms. Justine
Akman, (Office of the Co-ordinator, Status of Women, Director General, Policy and External Relations)
[10] “I would say, too, that getting over the mentality and trying to really have a zero-tolerance policy for when someone steps backwards on this issue and paying, no, it's not okay if you make an anti-woman joke at a political event, or no, it's not okay if we only use language that can be applied to women like, “shrill”, or, “bossy”, or words that you only ever see applied by media, for example, in a female context. To me, that's where men really have to step up more so than they have.” FEWO, Evidence, September 26, 2018, 1545, Mr. William McBeath, (Principal with Canadians for Democracy and Prosperity; board member of the Southern Alberta Chapter of Equal Voice)
[11] “In my
opinion, political parties need to create conditions to encourage and give
women equal
opportunities to run for office. Nevertheless, as women, we must also realize
that if we want to have
an equal voice to that of men, we must make an effort to put partisanship aside
and work together. It
is up to us to continue whether to be divided based on partisanship and
ideological lines, or to work
toward a compromise to ensure women get elected in the Parliament of Canada.
Instead of making
politics a scavenger's playground, we could work together.” FEWO, Evidence, September
26, 2018, 1650, Ms. Daniela Chivu, (Member of the National Council of Women of
Canada (NCWC), As an Individual)
[12] “As for an actual thing that we can all be doing, just ask women to run. If you see a competent woman sitting at the table at Tim Hortons or wherever she is, on the farm, and she's talking to you about politics or she's community-minded, why not just say, “Hey, have you ever thought about sitting on our EDA board?” Those are grassroots, organic initiatives that bring women to the table quite literally, which aren't necessarily government-imposed or some kind of structural demand.” FEWO, Evidence, June 7, 2018, 1710, Ms. Michaela Glasgow, (As an Individual)
[13] “When I say that government ought to be doing nothing, I do not mean that the people in government ought to be doing nothing. I would actively encourage you and other members of Parliament to go to high schools to speak about women in politics. Talk of the first female cabinet minister who earned her place in the Diefenbaker cabinet, who earned her position fighting for immigration and other such reforms, and give people role models to aspire to. Share your experiences.” FEWO, Evidence, June 7, 2018, 1550, Ms. Shal Marriot, (As an Individual)
[14] “The work of winning a nomination can be broken down into really four areas: recruitment, training, fundraising, and networking. It involves identifying, occasionally persuading a candidate to seek office; mentoring them when they encounter challenges; building a team of volunteers and professionals to support the nomination campaign; raising money to pay for nomination campaign activities; and connecting the candidate and her team with key stakeholders, influencers and voters in the constituency to build a winning coalition of members or supporters.” FEWO, Evidence, September 26, 2018, 1530, Mr. William McBeath, (Principal with Canadians for Democracy and Prosperity; board member of the Southern Alberta Chapter of Equal Voice)
[15] “As to women's equality and having a seat at the table, a man should ask a woman in the same way as I would ask another woman to sit at a table with me. I think that, by changing that narrative, elected women and elected people in general can have a greater impact than they think, because if we're constantly giving an economic portfolio to a man, or assuming that a woman wouldn't want that portfolio and that she would want, say, status of women instead, that's actually where we regress. Just making sure everything is open and available to people is the best step. FEWO, Evidence, June 7, 2018, 1715, Ms. Michaela Glasgow, (As an Individual)
[16] “When you're looking at getting involved, as I said, if you want a seat at the table, pull up a chair. For me personally, some of my biggest supporters have been men. Rachael's here today and she's one of my biggest mentors, but at the end of the day, I also have Jason Kenney who has been a huge mentor and inspiration to me. John Barlow has been a huge inspiration and mentor to me, and Drew Barnes. These people in various sectors of government have been absolutely influential in informing who I am and my politics and motivating me to go forward.” FEWO, Evidence, June 7, 2018, 1650, Ms. Michaela Glasgow, (As an Individual)
[17] “I'd also like to say we can't do it without men, without the 49% of men who have been through the experience. I have also had male mentors, by the way, and quite important ones. I had Robert Bourassa, Jean Chrétien, and Jean Charest, to give you a few examples. We need the help of men. Feminism isn't about being against men. I want to put that on the table. I don't believe in that. Feminism has changed over the years, and we have a lot of men who are very supportive.” FEWO, Evidence, June 7, 2018, 1715, Ms. Eleni Bakopanos, (National Board Member, Equal Voice)
[18] “I believe that in order to meet the goal of nominating and electing more capable women, we need to reverse course on what has been a trend of late about the provincial and federal levels; namely, the reduction or outright elimination of third-party involvement in political party nominations.” FEWO, Evidence, September 26, 2018, 1530, Mr. William McBeath, (Principal with Canadians for Democracy and Prosperity; board member of the Southern Alberta Chapter of Equal Voice)