Janet Ecker : Choose Electoral Reform in this Fall's Referendum

This piece is from former Ontario Progressive Conservative cabinet minister, Janet Ecker, who was joined by Liberal Elinor Caplan and New Democrat, Marilyn Churley.

Women in politics
Globe and Mail
July 26, 2007
By Equal Voice Members and former Ontario Ministers:
JANET ECKER (PC)
ELINOR CAPLAN (Liberal)
MARILYN CHURLEY (NDP)

Toronto -- We can say from our own considerable experience that more women would be elected to the Legislature if some of the barriers to their participation were removed (Ontario Parties Chip Away at Old Boys' Club - July 24). That would mean fair, transparent nominations; strict spending limits to remove the financial impediment that hampers many women; and electoral reform to get more women nominated.

In the present system, nominations are the business of local riding associations, which - 80 per cent of the time - decide a male candidate is preferable. This spring, the Ontario Citizen's Assembly recommended adding to the Legislature a minority of seats, which would be elected by proportional representation.

For these seats, parties would publicize "lists" of candidates chosen to redress imbalances in current representation, i.e. more women, minorities and first-nations candidates. This system is used successfully in many countries and enjoys high voter satisfaction. It also gets results, with far more women in politics than we have ever achieved with the first-past-the-post system in Ontario.

Queen's Park has been a mostly male club too long: We urge voters to chose electoral reform in this fall's referendum.