If you laughed and considered that headline question improbable and far fetched, was it because…

#1. You hate all politicians and think that the world is doomed if we have to depend on them?

#2. Don’t think men and women are all that different when it comes to governing?

#3. Don’t believe in climate change, and figure that even if it is real — you’ll be dead long before the nasty effects kick in…

We were musing over these big questions at the most recent Women’s Environmental Alliance meeting on August 30th. Rosemary Speirs, former political journalist, past chair of Equal Voice, and President of the Board of Directors of Ontario Nature addressed the group.

Before we dive into what her message was, let me set the stage for you. The WEA gatherings are held the last Thursday of each month, and are open to any woman who wants to attend (I told my husband I’d like to bring him along sometime but ‘Sorry, honey, it’s women only!‘). The meetings take place at a centrally-located Toronto restaurant and usually feature a speaker. Everything is very informal, with women arriving anytime after 6:30pm and ordering dinner and drinks as they arrive. Any woman reading this is welcome to attend. See the Women’s Environmental Alliance website for the schedule.

WHY MORE WOMEN IN POLITICS COULD BENEFIT THE ENVIRONMENT

I marveled at Rosemary’s dedication in speaking to our local environmental group and thought, ‘This is a very time-intensive grassroots effort on her part!’ I leaned forward to hear what she had to say…

Rosemary Speirs goal, and Equal Voice’s, is to inspire more women to enter political life. She asked us to consider two things. One, that women are grossly underrepresented in politics (an indisputable fact). And two, that women are more alarmed about climate change and quicker to make real changes in their households to combat it. (That is certainly true in our household, but I’d like to see the study that proves it, if only to wave it in the face of a few sure-to-be irate males. Some of the best climate change bloggers I know are men.)

MIXED GENDER TEAMS MAKE BETTER POLITICAL DECISIONS

The conclusion Rosemary drew is that the world would be a far better place, with tougher environmental laws, if women shared political power equally with men. Rosemary made the case that politics needs both genders in power to make the right decisions for the country and for the environment. She cited studies that show that mixed gender teams produce better decisions and better results.

Equal Voice’s goal is to see 30% female representation in politics. Their website features many reports on how that goal can be achieved including Getting to 30% by the Federation of Canadian Municipalities. (Although women represent more than 50% of the Canadian population, women only hold 25% of the seats in the Provincial legislature; in the Federal House of Commons, women make up just 21% of members. (See reference.)

WOMEN POLITICIANS ARE EITHER ‘BIMBOS’ OR ‘BITCHES’ IN THE PRESS

Following Rosemary’s pitch I offered my ‘marketing’ opinion that female politicians are routinely attacked in the media, and slotted into either ‘bimbo’ or ‘bitch’ stereotypes. I suggested we need to offer women role models to inspire them to step forward.

Rosemary sighed quietly and agreed this was a key issue. She listed a number of female politicians such as Kim Campbell, Sheila Copps, Alexa McDonough, Marion Dewar and others, who could be held up as positive role models.

I listened, but I shook my head when Kim Campbell’s name came up. I said, “For all of Ms. Campbell’s notable achievements, she was savaged by the media. Her photo portrait taken with bare shoulders holding up a black legal robe was an unfortunate political misstep in my mind which diminished her public image. I don’t see how women would be encouraged based on how she was treated.”

Another WEA member laughed at my comment and said, “What about Stockwell Day on a jet ski?” Yes, I laughed, male politicians can do dumb and embarrassing things too. Most agreed that political life is a minefield that many women – perhaps wisely — don’t want to enter.

I tried to think of female politicians I admire and I can think of a few. Number one is Elizabeth May. And it’s not just because she is an environmental leader, but because she is sharp, clever and thinks well on her feet. Trained as a lawyer, she really knows how to structure a verbal ‘argument’, and win in debates. These are skills young women should recognize as admirable — not what color and style their dress is.

WHY PR IS VERY GOOD FOR WOMEN

But perhaps the main reason that Rosemary was there speaking to us was to get us to spread the word about PR, and vote for it on October 10th. Her view is that PR, also known as Mixed Member Proportional Representation is our best shot at getting more women into politics. We’ll have our chance to vote for it in the upcoming Ontario provincial election on — flag this date — October 10th.

“On October 10, 2007, at the next provincial election, there will be a referendum on whether Ontario should adopt a “Mixed Member Proportional” system (MMP). A “Yes” majority vote will give us a truly democratic voting system: where all votes and voters count equally, and the government represents the majority. A “Yes” vote means that we demand a system of fair representation for women, and for minorities and Aboriginals, and that our legislatures should reflect the diversity of our society. We are asking that you join us in this historic event — it could be the last time for many generations that you will be able to make this kind of impact on the way our electoral system works. On October 10th, 2007 vote Yes and make your vote count.” Source: Equal Voice in Politics

I’ll vote for MMP, but following Rosemary’s talk, I found myself puzzling over the question, “What would inspire women to enter politics? Do environmentally-active women have a greater reason to step forward?” It was a puzzle.

WOMEN NEED INSPIRATIONAL ROLE MODELS

I woke up this morning thinking that Equal Voice needs an ad campaign to remind people of the best women leaders around the world. It would have to quickly communicate, in just a few words and pictures, why these women chose to become politically active. It certainly can’t be for the money or the adulation – women need skins as thick as rhinos to survive. I like to think it must be about ideas – and the opportunity to make change happen.

I recently exchanged emails with Sandra Finley, the Leader of the Green Party in Saskatchewan.. I asked her why she became a politician and she said, “I don’t really see myself as a politician, but I’ve stepped into the political world for a couple of reasons. One is that I saw changes happening in my community that were totally going in the wrong direction. It was very distressing. I knew that to change things for the better I had to get involved. I couldn’t rely on anyone else to do it for me. My second reason was to support politicians that I admire and believe in. When Elizabeth May was elected as Federal Leader of the Green Party, I realized that she would need my support and others, if she was going to achieve her objectives. For me, being in politics is about cooperation to achieve shared goals to make our world a better place.”

WHACKING THE POLITICIANS THAT DESERVE IT

After listening to Sandra and Rosemary, I couldn’t help but ask myself whether I would ever enter politics. I don’t think so. Anyway, I’m much better at being an artist, a communicator — and a modern court jester. Creating online political polling games, as well as environmental essays, is too much fun to ever set aside. I think I can make my best contribution by helping people to understand the issues of the day. So ultimately they can vote for the politicians who will best represent their interests. Besides the media would have a field day with an artist who whacks politicians on the head! Ouch!

It seems to me that the Canadian public isn’t comfortable with politicians who represent passionate causes. We don’t want politicians who have agendas, unless that agenda is so accepted by the masses that it is like motherhood and apple pie. (The environment may be morphing into a giant apple pie issue. Uh oh! That sounds dangerously like Belinda talking about building a bigger pie…) The ideal politician of either sex, is expected to be impartial – able to represent the major issues of the day in a balanced way without pushing their own personal agenda forward.

THANK A POLITICIAN TODAY

Being a politician is such a hard row to hoe. Vilified in the media. Commonly hated by a large segment of the population. Earning a lot less money than they would in the private sector. It’s a thankless task. I noted that Stéphane Dion’s mother was quoted in the media shortly after his election as Liberal Leader. She was worrying about her son, as she’d never met a happy politician… I don’t know what drives people to enter politics but I have to admire them for taking on the formidable challenges we face in the 21st century.

So the question I have for you is, “Do you think having more women politicians would result in tougher laws on the environment?”

If your answer is “Yes”, and you’re an Ontario citizen, don’t miss this opportunity to vote for Mixed Member Proportional Representation on October 10th.

This entry was posted on Saturday, September 1st, 2007 at 11:18 am and is filed under My Green Conscience. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.