Getting to 30%: FCM´s Women in Municipal Government National Program
March 2010
:: Q & A
:: Advisory
Currently in Canada, women represent only 13.9 per cent of mayors and 23 per cent of councillors. This gender deficit is especially relevant because women make up 50 per cent of our population. When compared to other countries, Canada ranks 46 out of 189 countries for the number of women in politics.
As the voice of municipal government in Canada, the Federation of Canadian Municipalities; (FCM) has the relevant expertise and experience with municipal governments. FCM represents more than 1800 municipal governments, supporting the interests of 90 per cent of the Canadian population.
Getting to 30% builds on FCM ´s National Board of Directors´ commitment to increase women´s participation in municipal decision-making. This commitment is demonstrated through FCM´s Standing Committee on Increasing Women´s Participation in Municipal Government and previous FCM programs supported by Status of Women Canada (SWC). Included in this work, FCM offers an online toolkit entitled “Election Toolkit for Women”, a “Facebook” page and the volunteer-based “Regional Champions Campaign” with its related manual and research.
FCM´s new national program will contribute to an area where there is a real and identified need and will provide results on a national scale. The program will not only help achieve SWC´s objective of “encouraging eligible women in leadership and decision-making roles”, but will also help Canada achieve the United Nations´ 30 per cent target for women in elected government positions.
The program focus is on the direct recruitment and training of women who are eligible to enter municipal politics. This program is designed to have a real impact, which is of great importance to both SWC and FCM as they support more women in local politics.
Getting to 30% is being funded for a two-year period by SWC. The funding will be used to develop, promote and present a series of Municipal Campaign School Workshops and Webinars across Canada.
Highlights from the program objectives:
- Recruitment of more than 300 women for leadership and decision-making roles in municipal government on a national scale
- Training and support to prepare women for political participation in municipal government (through the Campaign School Workshops and protégée opportunities)
- Promote equality in municipal politics in the media
- Leverage SWC´s funding through FCM´s significant contribution of volunteers who will work to support the program.
- Seek out and establish partnerships to sustain and expand the program beyond its 2 year mandate.
For more information about the program please contact Andrew Cowan, Senior Manager, National Programs at acowan@fcm.ca or 613-907-6368.