Female councillors aim to empower women to run for office

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Winnipeg’s five female city councillors are hoping a panel event will empower women to run for political office and help boost their relatively small share of city council seats.

Throughout Winnipeg’s first 151 years, 33 women were elected as city councillors and one woman was elected mayor, while 456 men were elected to mayor and council positions.

Winnipeg’s only female mayor was Susan Thompson, who was elected in 1992.

On Saturday, the five women currently sitting on city council will host an Empowering Winnipeg Women in Political Leadership panel that aims to help more female candidates take the leap into political life.

“When you look at the numbers, we have five women on council out of 16 members. That number speaks for itself … It’s been like that for a long time,” said Coun. Devi Sharma, who will join fellow councillors Cindy Gilroy, Sherri Rollins, Janice Lukes and Vivian Santos at the event.

Women are also under-represented in provincial and federal politics.

Women and gender-diverse people make up 34 per cent of all elected officials in federal and provincial/territorial legislatures across Canada, according to the Equal Voice Foundation, an organization that advocates to improve gender representation in Canadian politics.

Equal Voice found women and gender-diverse people fill 103 of 338 seats (with two currently vacant) in the House of Commons and 18 of 57 seats (with one vacant) in the Manitoba legislature.

From 9 a.m. to noon Saturday at the convention centre, the panel of Winnipeg city councillors hopes to offer a frank discussion on the challenges and benefits of women entering politics. Admission is free.

Sharma said she’s optimistic opening that dialogue will help increase diversity, which would ensure more viewpoints are reflected in key decisions.

The discussion will also explore representation among women of colour and those with disabilities. Only two women of colour have been elected to Winnipeg City Council so far, including Sharma (Old Kildonan) and Santos (Point Douglas).

“A long time ago, politics was not a space for women in the Indo-Canadian community and that has changed over time,” said Sharma.

Santos also said further diversity would benefit Winnipeg.

“Me and Devi Sharma were the only two women of colour in 150 years … Winnipeg, Manitoba and Canada are built on immigration and I’d really like to encourage more women of colour to run for office,” she said. “We know we have a lot of great female leaders here in Winnipeg. We wanted to show them … where to begin.”

Lukes (Waverley West) said immigration fuels much of the population growth in her ward and there are many potential candidates to help improve diversity.

“I think about the unbelievably powerful, amazing immigrant women in my ward, they could easily take on this role … Lots of times, I think women maybe don’t think about (running), they need a bit more encouragement to do it,” said Lukes.

With the next civic election set for fall 2026, she said it’s important to ensure potential candidates are made aware of opportunities now.

Rollins (Fort Rouge-East Fort Garry) said it’s “sobering” to see so few women elected throughout Winnipeg city council history. The current five women among 16 members is the highest proportion so far.

“We don’t expect gender parity any time soon and we certainly won’t get it if we don’t ask women to run and we don’t show and tell what this looks like,” said Rollins.

Women seeking political positions may face multiple barriers, such as being less likely to be asked to run and facing challenges in attracting endorsements and financial support, she said.

She believes overt sexism has become less common.

“It’s not that people write and say, ‘You should be with your three kids or in a kitchen’ the way they might have … a generation or two before me … but there still exists a sexism,” said Rollins.

She said women often ask questions about how to balance a political position with parenthood, though she noted that’s likely a concern in all workplaces.

Gilroy (Daniel McIntyre) said she feels women are still pressured to take on a lot of housekeeping tasks, which could affect decisions to enter the political ring.

“I think letting women know that there are other women out there that have been able to accomplish all this allows them to consider politics as an option for them,” she said.

joyanne.pursaga@freepress.mb.ca

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