Women in Local Government

The United Nations defines 30 per cent as the minimal percentage of women required for government to reflect women´s concerns.

Women represent 16 per cent of mayors and 25 per cent of councilors in Canada, for an average of 24 per cent. In absolute terms, of 24,197 elected officials, 5,807 are women.

Based on current statistics, Canada would need 1,452 more women in elected office today to reach the 30 per cent target. That means increasing the number of women in municipal government by roughly 100 every year for the next 14 years.

FCM wants to help close this gender gap.

Since 2005, FCM´s Standing Committee on Increasing Women's Participation in Municipal Government has undertaken a number of initiatives, activities and programs to encourage women who are considering running for municipal office. The newest element of this campaign is the Getting to 30% Project. The program is designed to recruit and train women to run in municipal elections, through a series of campaign schools and webinars, as well as a campaign manual.