I was interviewed this morning on Global TV by anchor Sophie Lui in my position as the president of the Canadian Women Voters Congress.  I had three main points I wanted to make:

1. Canada is falling behind other countries in having women participate in the political process.
2. Graduates of the Women’s Campaign School have been successful in getting elected - over 60% of our graduates who ran for office in 2008 were elected.
3. Let viewers know that they could register on-line at our website www.womenscampaignschool.org

There are lots of stories to tell and talk about why politics is not a common career choice for women.

When I got home, I listened to CBC’s The Sunday Edition where Michael Enright was speaking with Sylvia Bashevkin, the author of the book “Women, Power, Politics.”  She described the “discomfort” that men and women have with women in power.  I appreciated the fact that she made it clear that women in politics are treated differently by men and women.  We question their legitimacy, we think of them as “losers” and we call them by first name in the media and in conversation.

The challenge for all the men and women who want equality and fairness in politics is to bring these things to people’s attention.  I believe citizens want our politics to be fair and inclusive.  We need to support our community leaders to enter politics and support them with our money, time and commitment.

I’ll look forward to reading this book.