Decreased Representation of Women in Quebec Elections
Revised Article:
Fewer women on the ballot, fewer women elected: The House of Commons should welcome 26 Quebec deputies, a slight decrease from the last term.
On Tuesday night, 26 women looked poised to be elected in Quebec, making up a third of the 78 seats. From the previous term, the House of Commons had 28 women.
Of these elected women, 19 were from the Liberal Party, 6 from the Bloc Québécois, and 1 from the Conservative Party. As of preliminary results compiled by La Presse, nationally, 102 women entered the House of Commons, representing close to 30% of the 343 seats.
Manon Tremblay, a Professor Emerita from the School of Political Studies at the University of Ottawa, had predicted a drop in the number of women elected. "It mirrors the conservative era we're living in," she said, having authored over 40 books on the political representation of women and LGBTQ+ people in Canada.
"It's probably we thought it was less important to have women because the key issue is trade war," Tremblay said. Voters generally trust women with issues like education and health, but when it comes to war, it's still usually a male-dominated field.
Several former ministers had an easy re-election, including Mélanie Joly in Ahuntsic-Cartierville, Rachel Bendayan in Outremont, and Élisabeth Brière in Sherbrooke. Marjorie Michel, the Liberal candidate in Papineau, who succeeded Justin Trudeau, also won comfortably.
However, their colleague Diane Lebouthillier, the former Minister of Fisheries, Oceans, and the Canadian Coast Guard, lost her riding to Alexis Deschênes of the Bloc Québécois.
In Bellechasse-Les Etchemins-Levis, Dominique Vien won a second term under the Conservative banner. In Trois-Rivières, Liberal candidate Caroline Desrochers defeated René Villemure, the incumbent. Nathalie Provost, a Polytechnique shooting survivor advocating against assault weapons, clinched the seat in Châteauguay-Les Jardins-de-Napierville for the Liberals.
Fewer candidates
The parties presented fewer women candidates in this election than in 2021. This decrease was seen nearly across all parties. "It's genuinely disheartening," said Esther Lapointe, director-general of the group Femmes, politique et démocratie.
In Quebec and Canada, 36% of Liberal ridings were defended by women, according to the count by the group Femmes, politique et démocratie. The Liberal Party was still far from the parity zone, defined between 45% and 55%.
The number of female candidates for the Bloc Québécois fell to 41%, a 6.4 percentage point drop from 2021. The Conservative Party in Quebec also saw a significant decrease, sliding from 32% to 28% of female candidacies. Nationally, the party of Pierre Poilievre recorded only 23% of female candidacies.
Only the New Democratic Party (NDP) had reached the parity zone with 46% of women candidates in Quebec and 51% nationally. "They maintain it in their statutes the obligation of parity of candidacies. Election after election, they are close to 50%," explains Esther Lapointe.
"Not exactly commendable"
"Canada is a very conservative nation in terms of the political representation of women," says Manon Tremblay. Canada ranks 70th in the Inter-Parliamentary Union's ranking based on the percentage of women in national parliaments.
"For a contemporary country, it's not exactly commendable. We could do better," Tremblay states. By comparison, Mexico is in fourth place on the ranking, with over 50% of women. The United States is in 78th position, with less than 29% of women.
Manon Tremblay believes that political parties should be required to include more women candidates, and not place them in "hopeless" ridings.
If we want to address the deficit in the representation of women, we must take serious actions and prioritize competitive ridings for several women.
Manon Tremblay, from the School of Political Studies at the University of Ottawa
The group Women, Politics and Democracy has been advocating for years for a parity law to oblige all parties to present between 45% and 55% of female candidates. "With this law, it would send the message to women that we need their talents and skills," says Esther Lapointe.
However, the drop in the number of elected women isn't due to a lack of interest from voters. At every election since 2008, women have voted more than men, according to Elections Canada.
With the collaboration of Jean-Hugues Roy, La Presse
- The decrease in the number of women candidates presented by parties in this election, seen across most parties, was lamented by Esther Lapointe, director-general of the group Femmes, politique et démocratie.
- In Quebec and Canada, only the New Democratic Party (NDP) had reached the parity zone, with 46% of women candidates in Quebec and 51% nationally, according to the count by the group Femmes, politique et démocratie.
- Manon Tremblay, a Professor Emerita from the School of Political Studies at the University of Ottawa, believes that political parties should be required to include more women candidates and not place them in "hopeless" ridings if we want to address the deficit in the representation of women.
- Esther Lapointe, from the group Women, Politics and Democracy, advocates for a parity law to oblige all parties to present between 45% and 55% of female candidates, stating that it would send the message to women that their talents and skills are needed.
- Manon Tremblay, in discussing Canada's political representation of women, expressed dissatisfaction with the country ranking 70th in the Inter-Parliamentary Union's ranking based on the percentage of women in national parliaments.
- On the issue of politics and policy, particularly related to health and wellness, including women's health, Nathalie Provost, a Polytechnique shooting survivor advocating against assault weapons, was elected in Châteauguay-Les Jardins-de-Napierville as a Liberal candidate in the recent election.
