Worse, there is no guarantee that a single woman will be elected, while five men will definitely make it on to Council.

Nearly all provincial/territorial representatives will be men, as no women are running in Alberta, Manitoba, New Brunswick, PEI and Quebec. Only in Ontario, Nova Scotia and the Territories do Greens have a chance to select a woman representative, with one woman and one man running in each. (The British Columbia and Saskatchewan spots are not up for election, but are currently held by men. No one is running in Newfoundland & Labrador.)

Sixteen candidates are running for five councilor-at-large positions, and only five of these are women–less than one third. Of the five councilors-at-large who are not up for election, there is only one woman.

Just as the Green  Party supports equal representation of women and men in federal and provincial politics, we must also work for gender parity in internal governance. Although the current slate of council candidates is unbalanced, it’s not all bad news for Green women, as I’m very proud of the strides we have made in other areas. For instance, many women hold influential positions within the Party. Leader Elizabeth May, deputy leader Adriane Carr, political director Catharine Johannson, executive director Maureen Murphy and council chair Kate Storey are a few examples.

I was thrilled when the Green Party Women’s Caucus was formed at the BGM in Nova Scotia earlier this year. This body was long overdue (other parties have had similar groups for decades), and it’s now time that Green women across the country get down to business and make this caucus an influential force within our party.

I plan to write more on how the Women’s Caucus can provide a voice for women and encourage equal participation, but that’s for another day. For now, the best way Greens can promote equal representation in our own party is by supporting qualified women in the Council elections.  Although there may only be a few of us women running for Council, I’m blown away by the high quality of those on the ballot.

Please note, I’m not urging Greens not to vote for men – there qualified men in the race, many of whom I know quite well and would welcome the chance to work with on Council. This is merely a reminder that gender equity on Council needs major work, and a warning that Council will be seriously skewed toward one gender if we don’t act.

So, why should you vote for me? Here are the top three reasons.

1.  I know the Green Party inside and out, and I have first-hand experience working at nearly every level of the party. I got involved as a volunteer in the 2004 election, and was a candidate in 2006. I worked full-time on Elizabeth May’s leadership campaign that summer, then joined the national office team as press secretary to the party and leader. After leaving staff after the last election, I became a councilor. I also sit on the board of the GPC Fund (the financial and legal arm), I’m a member of the International Committee, and I help out with party communications. What does all this mean? I hope it means that I understand how the various bodies within the party can and should function, both independently and in relation to each other. I have a good idea of what has worked for us, what has not, and what we still need to learn.

2.  I am focused on ensuring we achieve electoral success in the next election, and my top priority is electing at least one MP. The reasons why we need Green MPs are obvious, and failing to send Greens to Parliament in the next election will not only damage our party’s future relevance, it will also deprive our voters of the representation they deserve. There’s also the not-so-minor consideration of our planet’s future, and having Greens in the House will vastly improve the odds that we’ll extricate ourselves from the mess we’re in. Electing our leader and other candidates is absolutely achievable – we simply need to develop a strategy and raise the money to pull it off. Other priorities include providing candidates with the tools they need, improving internal communication, and running a full slate of candidates. As a councilor, I’ll work to make sure this happens.

3.  I’m committed to addressing your concerns and I’m here to listen. One of the Green Party’s best sources of feedback and ideas is our membership, particularly those who have taken it to the next step by working on a campaign, serving on an EDA executive or even running as a candidate. It’s important to consult and it’s important to devise solutions to past and current problems we face. We can’t afford to repeat our mistakes. Your feedback is important to me and I will continue to bring your concerns forward during council deliberations. I hope to use this blog as one way to keep the lines of communication open.

I’ll continue to write on the council elections and will share more thoughts as the race moves forward. In the meantime, you can expect to receive a voting package any day now (electronic, unless you’ve opted for paper mail). The deadline to join the party in time to vote is Thursday, July 16, and the voting deadline is Saturday, August 15. If you want to join or renew your membership in order to vote for me, visit http://www.greenparty.ca/join.

If you have questions or comments on my candidacy, I’d love to hear from you. Feel free to write to me at camille -at- greenparty.ca or leave a comment.