A bid for balance on Broadway Women and gender-diverse candidates are on the ballot in 42 constituencies, making equal representation a realistic possibility By: Danielle Da Silva Posted: 6:20 PM CDT Tuesday, Sep. 26, 2023

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This article was published 26/09/2023 (1072 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

When the Manitoba Legislative Assembly was dissolved less than four weeks ago, women held just one quarter of the 57 seats across the province.

That imbalance could shift dramatically next Tuesday.

More electoral divisions in Manitoba have women and gender-diverse candidates on the ballot, putting a gender-balanced assembly within reach next week, according to Equal Voice, a national non-partisan organization dedicated to electing more women to all levels of political office.

Achieving gender parity beneath the Golden Boy is a worthy goal and one Manitobans should be proud to pursue, said Eddie Calisto-Tavares, the Manitoba Liberal candidate for The Maples.

“There would be a lot more collaboration because we, as women, understand what it is to be on the outside, and we don’t want to internalize that,” said the 64-year-old semi-retired entrepreneur and senior and community advocate.

“We would not only work with purpose and heart, but leave the egos outside the door.”

Calisto-Tavares made headlines during the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic when she called public attention to the rapidly deteriorating and deadly viral outbreak at the Maples Personal Care Home, where her father was a resident.

“We would not only work with purpose and heart, but leave the egos outside the door.”–Eddie Calisto-Tavares

And in the months that have passed, Calisto-Tavares said her drive to change the health-care system and improve it for others hasn’t diminished.

However, a run at public office wasn’t top of mind, the grandmother of two said. But it was encouragement from neighbours and Liberal Leader Dougald Lamont that pushed her to put her name on the ballot.

She’s one of 14 women and gender-diverse nominees running for the Liberals, about 28 per cent of the party’s 49 candidates.

“I thought, ‘Well, is there a chance I can actually fight from the inside?’” she said. “And that is what compels me.”

According to Equal Voice, there are numerous factors that influence whether women will get involved in politics, despite many seeing significant value in public service.

A survey conducted by the organization in January 2022 found nearly three-quarters of women do not feel welcome or invited to run for office. A comparable number indicated a lack of confidence or qualifications to put their name on a ballot.

The cost of running, the work-life balance of being an elected official and concerns for safety and harassment were also major issues women considered when contemplating a bid for public office, the survey found.

“I am a very strong, bold, in your face type of woman. I do not shy away from challenges, conflicts, pushing back,” said Calisto-Tavares. “So, no, that was never anything that I’d worry about.”

“I am a very strong, bold, in your face type of woman. I do not shy away from challenges, conflicts, pushing back.”–Eddie Calisto-Tavares

However, she acknowledged the many hurdles women can encounter on the way to public office and what can be lost when they choose not join the race.

“Electing people like me, it really brings a variety of talents and skills and life experiences that can only enrich our public service and our ability to give back to community,” she said.

Equal Voice is tracking representation among candidates in Manitoba’s 43rd general election.

There are at least 62 women and gender-diverse candidates on ballots in 42 electoral divisions covering more than 70 per cent of the province, the group said.

It’s a significant milestone on the path toward a more representative government in Manitoba, Equal Voice executive director Chi Nguyen said.

“It’s a fact — women and gender diverse individuals can only get elected if they are given the platform and opportunity to run,” Nguyen said. “Although Manitoba has strides to make in achieving full gender parity within its legislative body, the momentum is palpable.”

Saima Aziz, the Progressive Conservative candidate in St. Vital, said some of that momentum can be attributed to having a woman in the premier’s office.

Tory Leader Heather Stefanson became Manitoba’s first female premier when she won the party’s leadership contest in late 2021, following the resignation of former premier Brian Pallister.

“You can say she is my role model,” said Aziz, a mother to two adult children, entrepreneur and post-secondary instructor. “I’m also learning from her, because sometimes you know leadership takes difficult decisions, and she’s taking them.”

Aziz described the Progressive Conservative Party of Manitoba as welcoming and inclusive, and the increased diversity of its candidates in this election — both in gender and ethnicity — will be a boon to the party.

“You can say she (Heather Stefanson) is my role model… I’m also learning from her.”–Saima Aziz

The Tories are running 17 women candidates (or just under 30 per cent of their overall slate); none identify as gender-diverse, according to a party spokesman.

“There will be diversity, definitely more new ideas will come,” said Aziz, who is aiming to be the first Muslim, hijab-wearing woman elected to the legislature.

“When new ideas will come, the party will flourish.”

Aziz previously served as a trustee in the Mystery Lake School Division between 2018 and 2022 before leaving Thompson to settle in Winnipeg’s Fort Richmond neighbourhood last April.

Her foray into provincial politics came at the invitation of Fort Whyte candidate Obby Khan, who invited her to join the PC party and consider putting her name on a ballot, she said.

“After spending 20 years in Canada, I realized that this country has given us many things,” said Aziz, who immigrated from Pakistan with her husband two decades ago. “We have a good economy here, good law and order, and now it is my turn to serve the people.”

NDP candidate Tracy Schmidt said her bid for a seat in the legislature may not have happened if not for the invitation she received to represent the party in Rossmere.

“I’m a longtime supporter of the NDP, and certainly I feel very much called to public service, so I did, perhaps, have thoughts in my mind about one day becoming involved as a candidate,” said the 42-year-old lawyer and labour relations officer. “However, as a mother to three relatively young children, that certainly presents a barrier.

“That being said, having been approached by the NDP, and have them see the value in me as a candidate… I’m very proud to say about the Manitoba NDP… they have many progressive policies to allow for diversity and participation.”

“I also believe very strongly in this campaign and, really, my decision to run and to take this step is really informed by the fact that I am a mother.”–Tracy Schmidt

Schmidt said child care offered at conventions and meetings is one example of a measure the party has taken to increase participation and boost representation among its candidates. She also received mentorship from Wolseley candidate Lisa Naylor and St. Johns candidate Nahanni Fontaine throughout her campaign.

The NDP has nominated 27 women or gender-diverse candidates, about 47 per cent of its overall slate.

“That bodes very well for Manitobans should we go on to take government,” she said, adding government and public institutions have a long way to go to achieve balance.

Schmidt said she received one or two comments on the doorstep remarking on her physical appearance and her ability to balance elected office with raising her kids.

“Women need to be judged on their record,” she said. “We certainly judge men on their record, and I would hope we do the same for women. Public service and public life can be challenging, and I anticipate that and I expect (that).

“I also believe very strongly in this campaign and, really, my decision to run and to take this step is really informed by the fact that I am a mother.”

The former postal worker and lifelong Fraser’s Grove resident said her experience as a middle-class mom who has struggled to find and afford child care and local, flexible health care for her kids will be an asset, if she is elected.

“When we have diversity, we have a diversity of lived experiences,” said Schmidt. “Those lived experiences then inform the policies that our parties put forward.

“It’s about understanding the folks that we seek to represent and representing their lived experiences, as well as our own.”

danielle.dasilva@freepress.mb.ca