Equal Voice said the last week marks a significant shift in Canada’s political landscape, as British Columbia and New Brunswick sent record numbers of women to their legislatures. In BC, the NDP and Conservatives achieved gender parity in their candidate slates, with women making up at least 40% of their candidates. Meanwhile, New Brunswick made history by electing its first woman premier and having women now make up more than 30% of the legislature. “These are major victories for women and gender diverse people in Canadian politics; however, our work is far from over,” said Equal Voice Executive Director Chi Nguyen in a press release. “Despite these positive developments, Canada has recently dropped to 67th place globally for gender representation in our federal legislature.” With three provincial elections taking place in October and the possibility of an early Canadian election, Equal Voice said it is continuing its efforts to support women and gender diverse people in entering politics. Across BC, New Brunswick, and Saskatchewan, it said more than 200 female and gender diverse candidates have been on the ballot — a promising sign of progress in gender representation.With one more provincial election happening on Monday, it acknowledged all eyes are on Saskatchewan to see if more women will continue to make history. Over the past few years, it pointed out it has focused on preparing candidates and their teams through its campaign schools, which are designed to equip participants with the skills and strategies necessary for running campaigns and leading them to success. As Equal Voice celebrates these victories, it said it remains committed to ensuring this progress continues and encourages all parties to work towards greater gender parity in their nominations ahead of the next Canadian election. “As discussions around a potential early federal election continue, it is more important than ever for political parties to ensure their slates of candidates reflect the diversity of the communities they serve,” said Nguyen. The polls had closed for the BC election and votes were preparing to be finalized on October 20. .BC ELECTION: Results inconclusive with over 99% of votes counted.Early results were promising for the Conservatives, but the NDP made up the difference.Elections BC said the NDP sat at 46 seats and the Conservatives had 45 as of 12:30 a.m. PST with 99.72% of the votes. The BC Greens had two seats, setting the scene for a situation like the 2017 election. New Brunswick voted in a Liberal majority government on Monday, with Premier-Designate Susan Holt at the helm after beating out the Progressive Conservatives. .Liberal Susan Holt wins majority government in New Brunswick election .Holt said she will reverse the New Brunswick government's gender identity law that required teachers to ask for parental permission before changing children’s names or pronouns at school. The New Brunswick Liberals last held power in 2018.
