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Author Topic: Dion's Commitment to Women Candidates
Jonas
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posted 15 January 2007 09:53 AM      Profile for Jonas     Send New Private Message      Edit/Delete Post
Dion has committed to have a third of his candidates be women. Dion's going to have some tricky choices in ridings where he may want to put people like Gerard Kennedy or Bob Rae over women candidates. Check out this Conservative (sorry!) blog entry:

http://www.stephentaylor.ca/archives/000773.html


From: Ottawa | Registered: Mar 2006  |  IP: Logged
Michelle
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posted 15 January 2007 09:55 AM      Profile for Michelle   Author's Homepage     Send New Private Message      Edit/Delete Post
Only a third?
From: I've got a fever, and the only prescription is more cowbell. | Registered: May 2001  |  IP: Logged
johnpauljones
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posted 15 January 2007 09:58 AM      Profile for johnpauljones     Send New Private Message      Edit/Delete Post
While I would like to see 50% female candidates for all parties in the next election I am totally against the Liberal method of simply parachuting in a candidate without a contested nomination.

I have no problem with teh party backing 1 specific candidate but historically the federal liberals parachute in candidates that have little or no connection to the riding.

For example Elinor Caplan was given the riding of Thornhill in 1997 when she had no connection to the riding.


From: City of Toronto | Registered: Nov 2004  |  IP: Logged
Michelle
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posted 15 January 2007 10:14 AM      Profile for Michelle   Author's Homepage     Send New Private Message      Edit/Delete Post
Well, it's not like the only way you can find a qualified female candidate in a riding is to parachute someone in! There are only, like, thousands of women to choose from in any given riding. I'm sure one or two of them are qualified for the job. You just have to look for them and overcome the barriers to them running.
From: I've got a fever, and the only prescription is more cowbell. | Registered: May 2001  |  IP: Logged
johnpauljones
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posted 15 January 2007 10:20 AM      Profile for johnpauljones     Send New Private Message      Edit/Delete Post
I totally agree with removing of barriers etc. It will be interesting to watch how this plays out especially with former leadership candidates seeking ridings.

I am hearing scuttle butt that a well known female is seeking the nomination for the liberals in Parkdale High Park. will Dion give that riding to a female or will he let Kennedy have it.

Much more has to be done with the grass roots to promote female and minority candidates.


From: City of Toronto | Registered: Nov 2004  |  IP: Logged
Jonas
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posted 15 January 2007 10:37 AM      Profile for Jonas     Send New Private Message      Edit/Delete Post
Don't keep us in suspense, who is the 'well known female' that is rumoured to be seeking the Liberal nomination in Parkdale High Park?!
From: Ottawa | Registered: Mar 2006  |  IP: Logged
robbie_dee
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posted 15 January 2007 10:42 AM      Profile for robbie_dee     Send New Private Message      Edit/Delete Post
I think that if Dion blocks Justin from the Outremont nomination, the NDP should recruit Sasha to run in the riding.
From: Iron City | Registered: Apr 2001  |  IP: Logged
a lonely worker
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posted 15 January 2007 10:55 AM      Profile for a lonely worker     Send New Private Message      Edit/Delete Post
If they really cared about increasing the role of women in politics maybe they should stop opposing attempts to bring in PR which is the only way to ensure full particiaption.
From: Anywhere that annoys neo-lib tools | Registered: Jul 2005  |  IP: Logged
Painet Cirques
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posted 15 January 2007 11:06 AM      Profile for Painet Cirques     Send New Private Message      Edit/Delete Post
Wow, that's funny. Isn't his "Dream Team" comprised of all the Liberal Leadership candidates, except the sole female?
From: London | Registered: Nov 2006  |  IP: Logged
Wilf Day
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posted 15 January 2007 11:16 AM      Profile for Wilf Day     Send New Private Message      Edit/Delete Post
quote:
Originally posted by Michelle:
You just have to look for them and overcome the barriers to them running.

The number one barrier is that the local riding members can only nominate one candidate at a time. They aren't bigotted nor stupid. They are many hundreds of politically active people. But want to see their party win, so they proverbially nominate "the strongest man." Put these same people in a room with a bunch of other ridings nominating five candidates for a regional list, and watch them nominate two women.

From: Port Hope, Ontario | Registered: Oct 2002  |  IP: Logged
Michelle
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posted 15 January 2007 12:56 PM      Profile for Michelle   Author's Homepage     Send New Private Message      Edit/Delete Post
Well, yes. But we all know that the nominations that take place are usually the result of the riding executive doing a search for the right people and putting those people forward. If everyone in the riding association were to say, "Okay, this year it's a priority for us to find a female candidate for this riding since the last umpteen candidates have been male," and started out with the assumption that the person will be female, then it would be most likely that the people doing the approaching will come up with women, or at least mostly women.

But usually such a suggestion is met with exclamations of horror, that if you search only for women that you'll get an inferior candidate. Because we all know that the best man for the job is a, well, man.


From: I've got a fever, and the only prescription is more cowbell. | Registered: May 2001  |  IP: Logged
Wilf Day
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posted 15 January 2007 01:22 PM      Profile for Wilf Day     Send New Private Message      Edit/Delete Post
quote:
Originally posted by Michelle:
the nominations that take place are usually the result of the riding executive doing a search for the right people and putting those people forward.

Sometimes, yes. On the other hand there are lots of contested nominations. Four years ago the local Liberals had a five-way contest for the provincial nomination: Brighton Mayor Lou Rinaldi, former provincial Liberal candidate Carolyn Campbell of Cobourg, Cobourg teacher Jim Daignault, Quinte West Councillor Sandra Carter, and Cramahe Township resident Stan Grizzle. The "best man" (Lou Rinaldi) won, and is our MPP.

From: Port Hope, Ontario | Registered: Oct 2002  |  IP: Logged
Adam T
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posted 15 January 2007 02:39 PM      Profile for Adam T     Send New Private Message      Edit/Delete Post
quote:
Wow, that's funny. Isn't his "Dream Team" comprised of all the Liberal Leadership candidates, except the sole female?

Um, no. Martha Hall Findlay is, along with Bob Rae and Scott Brison, part of the group writing the new Liberal campaign book.


From: Richmond B.C | Registered: Nov 2003  |  IP: Logged
Jonas
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posted 15 January 2007 03:00 PM      Profile for Jonas     Send New Private Message      Edit/Delete Post
I don't think she's writing the campaign book but is being sent across the country to talk to people (i.e. get back on the red bus Martha and let the boys do the important work )
From: Ottawa | Registered: Mar 2006  |  IP: Logged
Tommy_Paine
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posted 15 January 2007 04:23 PM      Profile for Tommy_Paine     Send New Private Message      Edit/Delete Post
I'm all for it. Bait and Switch, lies and corruption, and thievery from things like the E.I. fund would be so much less damaging coming from wealthy women than it would wealthy men.

Somehow. I'm not really sure how, but it must be so because I don't need yet another new corn shute courtesy of the bourgoise feminists.


From: The Alley, Behind Montgomery's Tavern | Registered: Apr 2001  |  IP: Logged
meades
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posted 15 January 2007 08:38 PM      Profile for meades     Send New Private Message      Edit/Delete Post
quote:
If they really cared about increasing the role of women in politics maybe they should stop opposing attempts to bring in PR which is the only way to ensure full particiaption

I don't actually think that's true. Because what you're doing then, likely, is stacking lists with women who will predominantly be coming from urban areas, since there's a big gap between women's political leadership in urban, rural, and remote areas. I would argue it's easier to achieve gender parity with PR because in each party you've only got one or a handful of glass ceilings to break through, whereas with First-Past-the-Post, you have 308. But if you can actually pull off breaking the barriers in those 308 ridings, then you've actually achieved something much greater in that you've challenged sexism in just about every nook and cranny of the country, particularly in rural areas where the grip of patriarchy is generally stronger.


From: Sault Ste. Marie | Registered: May 2001  |  IP: Logged
Gir Draxon
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posted 15 January 2007 08:47 PM      Profile for Gir Draxon     Send New Private Message      Edit/Delete Post
quote:
Originally posted by Michelle:
Only a third?

He said in Edmonton on Thursday that it is an incremental step, and that he wants to work towards 50% after reaching the initial goal.

quote:
Originally posted by Michelle:
But usually such a suggestion is met with exclamations of horror, that if you search only for women that you'll get an inferior candidate. Because we all know that the best man for the job is a, well, man.

No, it's because the women who are the best people for the job shouldn't need anyone to force their riding associations into choosing them.

From: Arkham Asylum | Registered: Feb 2003  |  IP: Logged
Scott Piatkowski
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posted 15 January 2007 09:57 PM      Profile for Scott Piatkowski   Author's Homepage     Send New Private Message      Edit/Delete Post
The Liberals like to pretend that the power of appointment is necessary to ensure women can run. That's why they needed to use it to appoint Stephane Dion, Pierre Pettigrew, John McCallum, Art Eggleton, Ken Dryden and David Emerson as candidates. Right?

Perhaps they should look at the institutional barriers (such as the lack of any spending limits in nomination contests) that prevent women from winning Liberal nomination contests.


From: Kitchener-Waterloo | Registered: Sep 2001  |  IP: Logged
Wilf Day
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posted 16 January 2007 01:16 AM      Profile for Wilf Day     Send New Private Message      Edit/Delete Post
quote:
Originally posted by meades:
what you're doing then, likely, is stacking lists with women who will predominantly be coming from urban areas.

Not necessarily. Take the three best MMP models posted on the OCA website, as summarized here. Sean Geobey would have three northern regions and some non-metropolitan regions. Greg Morrow proposes two northern regions, one for rural Eastern Ontario, and one for rural Central Ontario, as well as one that combines Waterloo Region with rural west-central Ontario. Brian Doody proposes one Northern Region, and one for rural Central East.

From: Port Hope, Ontario | Registered: Oct 2002  |  IP: Logged

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