Grit insiders say the federal Liberals are unlikely to nominate one-third female candidates in the next election and that the new Liberal leader’s main focus is finding winnable candidates rather than focusing on gender.
Sen. Smith said the leader will retain the ability to appoint candidates, however he prefers “proactive encouragement” to get viable women to run.
“If you have an open nomination, which most of our nominations are, they’re level playing fields. Where you’re sometimes proactive is encouraging women to jump in and go for it, whereas without encouragement, some of them might not have. I think that’s a legitimate and totally bona fide thing to do, but once you’re in a race then it’s a level playing field,” said Sen. Smith.
A level playing field? Sen. Smith is either badly out of touch or deliberately falsifying the facts. A woman is much more likely to face obstacles in relation to family, finance and fairness. One only has to look at the way Hilary or Palin were treated to see that there is a very different aspect to the way media and politicos alike react to female politicians. There is much more emphasis on style, on aggressiveness [seen as a negative in women of course] and ability/experience. A green female politician is somehow seen as greener than a male politician.
A male candidate is much less likely to have to consider such things as childcare both for running and after a potential win. And a male politician is unlikely to be told to stick to his knitting or to go see a ‘doctor’ when forcefully pushing the opposition on bad policy.
While I agree with Ms. Hall Findlay on quotas, “Personally I’m not a fan of quotas,” Ms. Hall Findlay. “It’s difficult for me as a woman to say that because there are a whole lot of people who feel strongly about quotas, but my focus is on getting more women to run period. I don’t need a number to tell me that, and I don’t need a number to tell me we don’t have enough.” it is hardly a level playing field. Much more needs to be done to ensure that more women are able to and have the desire to enter the political arena.
h/t Challenging the Commonplace
Story Hill Times
Quoting from the article – I think the quote from the anonymous “top Liberal” says pretty much everything we need to know about the Liberal idea of a “level playing field”:
“The bottom line is the best chance you have to win the riding is the guy we want to be carrying the ball or the person we want to be carrying the ball. There are cases where that will definitely be females.”
Granted he softens the blow after he realizes what he’s just said, but the first instinct there is telling. It kind of reminds me of that British sitcom from the 80s, Yes Prime Minister, where one bureaucrat claims that a gender-sensitive government would “appoint the best man for the job, regardless of sex.”