Policy Resolution 92

92. Redressing the “democratic deficit” for women in Parliament

WHEREAS the World Economic Forums’ Global Gender Gap Report 2013,1 an index which benchmarks national gender gaps on economic, political, education and health-based criteria, and provides country rankings, currently relegates Canada to 20th position overall;

WHEREAS on the “political empowerment” component, based on percentage of women in Parliament, women in ministerial positions, and years with a female head of state, the Global Gender Gap Report 2013 ranks Canada a lowly 42nd;

WHEREAS women in Canada constitute slightly more than half the population, participate in the paid labour force, according to Statistic Canada, at a rate increasingly close to that of men (58.3% for women compared to 65.2% for men in 2009),2 but still represent slightly less than one-quarter of Members of Parliament;

WHEREAS the Liberal Party of Canada remains committed to the full democratic participation of citizens of all races, creeds, and genders, and is committed to “exploring Parliamentary and Electoral reform in order to realign our institutions with democratic principles and to ensure more meaningful and effective representation”;

BE IT RESOLVED that the Government of Canada, offering to work together with the provinces and territories, and learning from the experience of the Nordic countries and others that have achieved much fairer gender representation, address Canada’s democratic deficit as a top priority.

National Women’s Liberal Commission

1 http://reports.weforum.org/global-gender-gap-report-2013/
2 http://www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/89-503-x/2010001/article/11387-eng.htm#a17
3 http://www.liberal.ca/meaningful-representation-parl-elect-reform/