Call me cynical, but in the grand scheme of Canadian politics, I’d say not a whole lot has changed for women in the past 30 years.
The 33rd Canadian Parliament (1984-1988) saw men leading each major party. The Speaker of the House of Commons was a man, and women occupied 29 out of the 282 seats in the House of Commons (roughly 10 per cent).
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Despite women’s minimal representation, the 1984 Canadian federal election still precipitated the only federal debate on the status of women in Canadian history.
That’s right. Over three decades ago. That was the most recent debate on women. It included Progressive Conservative Brian Mulroney, New Democratic Party leader Ed Broadbent, and Liberal party leader John Turner.
Today, all three leading parties are still led by men. The Speaker is still a man (Jeanne Sauvé, 1980-1984, was the only female speaker in Canadian history). Women now occupy roughly 25 per cent of the seats in the House. One federal party is actually led by a woman.