Carleton students heard from female federal politicians at a panel discussion Feb. 25 entitled #SheWillRun, where they shared the stories of how they elected and what challenges they faced along the way.
The discussion was organized by the Carleton chapter of Equal Voice, a national multi-partisan organization dedicated to helping more women get into in politics. Sakshi Sharma, the chapter’s vice-president (external) said she thinks it’s important women to be present in public life and politics.
“It shouldn’t be an abnormal thing when a woman wins an election,” she said.
“With the 2015 election coming up, we thought it would be interesting to get women from major political parties to come out and talk about what issues women are facing on the campaign trail, what it means to be a woman on the campaign trail, and what is actually the lived experiences of women who are running for office,” she added.
Panel members included Susan Truppe, the parliamentary secretary for the status of women; Mylene Freeman, the official opposition critic for the status of women; Elizabeth May, the leader of the Green Party of Canada; and Catherine McKenna, the Liberal candidate for Ottawa-Centre.
Truppe said the best way to get into politics is to volunteer.
“I started as a volunteer at 15 years old, and I really enjoyed meeting people,” she said in an interview before the event. “I liked starting something and seeing it come to fruition, whether you won the election or lost.”
Truppe said she has always been interested in politics, but said she wanted to wait until her children were grown to run. Her son, Walter, is 22 years old.
“Being an MP is a huge commitment, and it’s hard for candidates with small children,” she said. “I worked for an MP. . . and saw him miss everything. I didn’t want to miss anything [with my family], so I waited and I have no regrets.”
The time commitment and time spent away from their families is often a major barrier for women seeking political office.
“It was a huge decision, but no matter what the job it is a balance,” McKenna said, who has three children under the age of ten. “It was important for me to run for the sake of my kids, for the future of the economy, and the environment . . . My family has been very supportive, and my girls love canvassing.”
The MPs also spoke of the importance of gender parity in legislatures.
“Half the population is not represented when we are not at gender parity, and you want your parliament to reflect the population,” May, the leader of the Green Party, said.
Many women are drawn to community activism instead of politics because they may seem see politics as unpleasant, May said.
“There is a general sense that you can make more of a difference at the grassroots level, but I don’t believe this is true,” she added. “It’s a bit of a chicken and egg situation at the moment. The more women involved, the more politics will start to change, but without a significant number of women there will be no change and women won’t necessarily want to run.”
