
A nudge to gender equity in 2025
Opinion
Gender equality in cabinet remains important even if the prime minister isn't talking about it.
Former prime minister Justin Trudeau seemed to ruffle feathers when he unveiled his first federal cabinet: one that deliberately included gender equality. Alberta's Rachel Notley had beaten him to the punch months earlier with a gender-equal cabinet, but she did so without making it a headline.
Newly elected Prime Minister Mark Carney seems to be following that lead.
Adrian Wyld / The Canadian Press
Prime Minister Mark Carney holds a news conference as members of his cabinet look on following a swearing in ceremony at Rideau Hall in Ottawa on March 14.
The new cabinet sworn in on Tuesday is composed of 28 full ministers: 14 women and 14 men, plus the prime minister. In addition, Carney appointed 10 junior ministers as secretaries of state: four women and six men.
However, he did this after some nudging from feminists, concerned that his first cabinet broke too far away from Trudeau's commitment to gender balance. Just after taking control of the party, Carney's new cabinet in March did not reflect a gender-equal balance. In addition, he also eliminated the minister for Women and Gender Equality Canada.
As Jeanette Ashe and Fiona MacDonald point out in an article published in the Tyee, that move prompted criticism from organizations like the Canadian Research Institute for the Advancement of Women, Women's Shelters Canada, YWCA Canada and Action Canada for Sexual Health and Rights.
But how big a role has Carney provided for these women?
According to Ashe and MacDonald, the 'big jobs' have gone to the men — a trend that has been ongoing in politics for years. Women continue to be under-represented in roles like finance minister or defence (although Carney did name a female associate minister of national defence: Jill McNight). Even in Manitoba under the NDP, the finance portfolio remains a job for a man — Adrien Sala.
If women are to be represented in cabinet, then women must first run as candidates in winnable ridings. According to Equal Voice, the NDP was the only federal party with 51 per cent female candidates. That's impressive, but given the poor polling numbers, those candidates were unlikely to win.
The Conservatives, who had strong polling numbers up until Carney's win as leader, had a depressing number of female-nominated candidates — only 22 per cent. The Liberals did only slightly better. Just 35 per cent of their candidates were female.
This does suggest however, that the two parties most likely to win the election, are less likely to nominate women than parties who polling numbers are low.
In a social environment in which gender equality risks being dismissed as 'too woke,' and with a growing backlash against diversity, equity and inclusion policies, it is important that women's voices in government continue to be heard and represented, particularly in cabinet.
Canada needs a diversity of voices in our public institutions.
Housing, climate change, health care, food security, the economy, unemployment and the ongoing issues with the United States are experienced differently by women than by men, largely because they likely live longer, they take on familial responsibilities for the most part and they often make less money.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Christinne Muschi
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, right, arrives for the cabinet swearing-in ceremony at Rideau Hall in Ottawa on Tuesday.
Women also make most of the buying decisions in the household, shoulder the child-care and elder-care responsibilities and as they near the end of their lives, navigate their newfound vulnerability alone.
That's why policy about housing, finance, defence and unemployment, among others, must at least attempt to understand the consequences and unintended consequences of any cabinet decisions.
Carney has some smart women in his cabinet.
Winnipeg Jets Game Days
On Winnipeg Jets game days, hockey writers Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe send news, notes and quotes from the morning skate, as well as injury updates and lineup decisions. Arrives a few hours prior to puck drop.
Patty Hajdu, Anita Anand, Chrystia Freeland, Mélanie Joly and of course Manitoba's own, newly elected Rebecca Chartrand, who was named the minister of Northern and Arctic Affairs and the minister responsible for the Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency.
He would do well to listen to them very closely.
After all, it's 2025.
Shannon Sampert is a retired political scientist.
shannon@mediadiva.ca

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Winnipeg Free Press
21 minutes ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
City of Burnaby, B.C., to apologize to Chinese-Canadians for past discrimination
BURNABY – A formal apology is being planned by the City of Burnaby, B.C., for its role in discrimination toward people of Chinese descent who lived and worked in the city between 1892 and 1947. The city says in a news release that the decision was made after a community consultation process that included surveys, dialogue sessions, focus groups and individual interviews. A report by the Community Heritage Commission, which advises council on the city's heritage program, says discriminatory bylaws, trades licenses, and labour regulations were enacted against the Chinese population during that time. The city says the findings 'underscored the importance of the city acknowledging the hardships faced by early Chinese settlers and the lasting impact of historical discrimination.' It noted that more than one-third of Burnaby's current residents are of Chinese descent, including new immigrants as well as fourth- or fifth-generation Chinese Canadians who have deep roots there. The city has scheduled an event for the formal apology on Nov. 15, joining the provincial and federal governments and two other B.C. cities — Vancouver and New Westminster — that have already apologized for discriminatory practices against the community. The Prime Minister of Canada formally apologized in the House of Commons in 2006 for policies including charging a head tax for the Chinese to immigrate. The B.C. government apologized in 2015 for 160 historically racist laws, regulations, and policies that were imposed by past provincial governments that discriminated against people of Chinese descent. The City of New Westminster issued its formal apology in 2010 and the City of Vancouver said it was sorry in April 2018. Burnaby's news release says that in addition to making its own formal apology, it is also committed to increasing the visibility of Chinese-Canadian history, facilitating cultural activities and reducing barriers for inclusion. 'While we cannot right the historic wrongs that were committed in Burnaby, this process has outlined a path toward ensuring Burnaby is a place that is inclusive and welcoming to everyone,' Burnaby Mayor Mike Hurley said in the release issued Wednesday. This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 11, 2025.

Globe and Mail
26 minutes ago
- Globe and Mail
Post-Mulroney, the Conservatives' brand is ‘loser.' It's time for an overhaul
How have Conservatives fared since making the big swerve rightward in the early 1990s? We recall that under Brian Mulroney's Progressive Conservative banner they won majority governments in 1984 and 1988. Then along came the dividers, the ideologues of the Reform Party, who grabbed 52 seats in the 1993 election and then proceeded to swallow the old Tories whole. And the rest is history – a primarily painful party history. Since the late Mr. Mulroney's departure from the party leadership in 1993, the Liberals have won eight elections to the Conservatives' three. The question now is whether the party will continue on its Liberal gift-giving track or clue in and opt, like the Liberal Party has just done, for a change of course: in the Conservatives' case, a change that broadens their identity beyond their Prairies-driven populist brand. Lawrence Martin: Why the Conservatives should dump Poilievre – but won't To be sure, the Conservatives' tradition is to lose most of the time. But in being bracketed further on the right in recent decades, they've lost even more of the time. If we count the four years (or so) to come under Mark Carney, the Liberals will have been in power for 27 years since 1993. The Conservatives? Nine. Their three victories came under Stephen Harper, who also lost two elections. Whether the wins were on account of ideology is doubtful. Two of the three wins came against Stéphane Dion and Michael Ignatieff, arguably two of the weakest leaders in Liberal Party history. As for the Conservatives' defeats, three came courtesy of Jean Chrétien, one from Paul Martin, three from Justin Trudeau and one so far from Mr. Carney. In the meantime, a more moderate form of conservatism, as practiced by Ontario Premier Doug Ford, has resulted in three straight majority victories in the province. On that more centrist side is where the federal party has been most successful, as exemplified by multiple election winners John A. Macdonald, John Diefenbaker and Mr. Mulroney. More bad news for the Conservative Party in its current form is the advantage the collapsed NDP gives the Liberals. Their plight, and Mr. Carney's shift away from left-leaning Trudeauism to the centre, means Liberals' available real estate has significantly expanded. It is especially the case if the Conservatives are cocooned on the right. Another factor that suggests the Conservatives need a big rethink is the plight of the populist brand. Leader Pierre Poilievre, who joined the Reform Party as a teenager, is an embedded populist. What Donald Trump is doing to the image of populism is ghastly. Under him, it is authoritarian, xenophobic, demagogic, vulgar, imperialist ... and I'll stop there. Lawrence Martin: How the Conservatives can save themselves: Changing Canada's image as the great white weakling of the North With the election of Mr. Carney – a big banker, an establishment man, a globalist respected for his knowledge – Canadians have signalled a turn away from populism. They're fed up with the politics of polarization. Mr. Carney might even bring back a modicum of respect for elites. His Liberals are popular in Quebec. As Mr. Mulroney argued, without Quebec the Conservatives' chances of winning a majority are scant. Post-Mulroney, the party has scored low in the province. A political party's deficiencies can be overcome with a popular leader, but the current Conservatives are saddled with one who lost his own seat and who, according to a new Nanos poll, is almost 25 points behind Mr. Carney in approval ratings. In the election campaign, many of Mr. Poilievre's economic policies were welcome enough, so much so that they were copied by the Liberals. Policy was less his problem than personality, likeability and his concocted look. Having been an MP for 20-plus years and party leader for almost three, that image is ingrained, hard to change. There's an old saying about all politics being local. That is not the case now. With foreign threats on the rise, with the country being bludgeoned by Donald Trump's tariffs, with Big Tech and AI posing new challenges, politics is becoming more and more global. The Liberals found a man of global stature to meet the times. Ironically, given all his political experience, Mr. Poilievre looks unseasoned by comparison. He has spent precious little time abroad. He gives no sense of having an informed global perspective. Hard economic times are ahead for the country. The Carney honeymoon will likely end before long. How he hopes to pay for all his wide-eyed promises is a mystery. There's a good chance the Conservatives will benefit in the polls, thus dampening momentum for bold change. But that would be folly. The trajectory Conservatives have been on since being overtaken by the Reform ideologues has been predominantly a failing one. They need put this phase of their history behind them.


Toronto Star
40 minutes ago
- Toronto Star
NDP leader says Carney needs to keep Parliament in the loop on trade talks
OTTAWA - Interim NDP Leader Don Davies is accusing Prime Minister Mark Carney of not being transparent about negotiations with the U.S. on getting President Donald Trump's tariffs lifted. Davies said Wednesday that Parliament has not been kept in the loop on what Carney and Trump are talking about behind closed doors, or whether Ottawa has involved stakeholders in negotiations with the U.S. 'Previous Liberal governments have made quite a deal out of appointing different stakeholders from society to be present in advising them. Yet we don't know anything about that in these negotiations,' Davies told reporters outside the House of Commons just ahead of question period. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW 'It's time that Carney government became more transparent with Canadians, let us know who's negotiating, and definitely explain to Canadians why he's pursuing deeper military and economic integration with the United States when he promised Canadians that he would do exactly the opposite.' Carney declared during the recent federal election that Canada's old relationship with the United States, based on deepening economic integration and military cooperation, had come to an end and he vowed to stand up to Trump in the face of steep U.S. tariffs. CBC/Radio-Canada reported earlier Wednesday that the U.S. and Canada are hashing out a 'working document' that outlines details of a potential trade deal and states that Canada will participate in Trump's Golden Dome missile defence project. The prime minister's office is neither confirming nor denying that report. Asked by reporters about talks on the U.S. tariffs, Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne said the government's 'endgame' is to have all of Trump's tariffs removed, but he referred journalists to Carney and Intergovernmental Affairs Minister Dominic LeBlanc for the most up-to-date information. 'It's a very dynamic situation,' Champagne said. 'We've been engaging with our friends in the United States. You know, we talk to different people in the administration.' But Carney and Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand breezed past reporters who shouted questions at them on Wednesday, while LeBlanc was not seen in Parliament. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW Ontario Premier Doug Ford publicly confirmed the secret, top-level discussions last week, saying that Carney and Trump are in 'deep discussions' on trade and working 'around the clock to get a deal.' 'They're right at the brink,' Ford said in Toronto on June 5. Pete Hoekstra, Trump's ambassador to Canada, said in an armchair talk at the Canadian Club of Ottawa on Wednesday that he thinks there's a 'possibility to have a great deal.' He said that 'all indications' are that the two countries could reach a 'very positive agreement,' but couched that 'there's also the possibility you could end up with something like no deal or whatever.' 'Until a deal is announced, you really won't know what's it in it,' Hoekstra said. Trump has insisted that Canada could join his unbuilt Golden Dome continental missile defence program at a cost of $61 billion. Carney confirmed last month that he is in talks with Trump about the project. 'It's something that we are looking at and something that has been discussed at a high level,' Carney said at a press conference in Ottawa on May 21. This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 11, 2025. Politics Headlines Newsletter Get the latest news and unmatched insights in your inbox every evening Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. Please enter a valid email address. Sign Up Yes, I'd also like to receive customized content suggestions and promotional messages from the Star. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Politics Headlines Newsletter You're signed up! You'll start getting Politics Headlines in your inbox soon. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page.