The City of Chestermere highlighted the barrier’s women are facing and engaged women within the community during the first of its kind Engaging Women in Municipal Politics event on Dec. 2.
The City of Chestermere was one of two Alberta communities that received a grant from the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) to promote education and engagement secessions focusing on barriers women face.
“Looking at the Elect Her Report, women are representing under 35 per cent of political leaders in Canada,” said Diversity and Inclusion Strategist Joanne Kinya Mugambi.
“There is a need to do better. What this program and process at the FCM is doing is to be able to determine how we can do better,” she said.
The Engaging Women in Municipal Politics event was barrier-free for women and caregivers with child care provided by trained community volunteers, while the Parent Link Centre provided the space.
“We made our event barrier-free by providing child care, that’s another reason why women don’t engage in political activities, child care isn’t usually offered,” Kinya Mugambi said.
She added, “We also provided people with the added experience of volunteering for the city and the pride that volunteering brings.”
Throughout the evening, around 20 community members were able to have healthy conversations with the Rotary Club of Chestermere, Rocky View Immigrant Services, and city councillors Cathy Burness, Michelle Young, and Deputy Mayor Yvette Kind.
“We had a really honest discussion around what are some of the fears that women face towards running for politics, what are some of the barriers, and what are some of the qualities of a good leader,” Kinya Mugambi said.
“People were so heavily engaged in this we had to keep cutting short all of the discussions, there was so much depth in everything that people were talking about,” she said.
The questions asked included what the advantages of having a woman in politics are, what are positive traits residents have seen in women in politicians, what skills do women in politics need, what would women in the community need to be in place to enter politics, what barriers do women face, and what resources could help address those barriers.
After discussing the questions, participants found seven common deterrents from participating in municipal politics such as gender stereotype and discrimination, lack of confidence in abilities, insufficient efforts to recruit female candidates, difficulties in financing campaigns, the absence of family-friendly and gender-sensitive workplaces, gender-based violence and harassment and gender bias in the media.
It was important for Kinya Mugambi to partner with the Rotary Club of Chestermere, and Rocky View Immigrant Services because both organizations support women.
“The Rotary Club has been empowering women as one of their pillars for success, given that they both have very specific mandates around women they were a perfect fit for this project,” Kinya Mugambi said.
There was also an open question and answer session where members of the community could ask city councillors questions.
“They gave some very real answers about what the reality is for them. It was amazing to see the humanness in all of it, their passion and dedication,” Kinya Mugambi added. “They are all very passionate about what they do, and that was also very encouraging for the women in the group.”
During a break from the discussions, community members were able to participate in a promotional video that showcases their support in the Engaging Women in Municipal Politics initiative, and their support for women within the community. Participants would state their name and then say, “I’m in.”
“There were some men at the event, and they were in support of women, we also had people who spoke other languages who gave the message in their language, and that was such a beautiful and powerful tool,” said Kinya Mugambi.
Adding, “We know that about 33 per cent of residents in Chestermere are immigrants, and they should be represented in terms of their language.”
After attending the Engaging Women in Municipal Politics event, Kinya Mugambi is hopeful that women feel important, feel like they are being heard, and that they are valued.
“We’re hoping people took away that when we take down the barriers for women, there will be so much more engagement in the political arena,” Kinya Mugambi said.
“We want people to know they have every right to engage in politics and to have their voice heard,” she said.
Kinya Mugambi also wants immigrant women to know that equity is essential, and their voices matter.
“Equity and equality are different. Equity is more about an opportunity, equality is something most people would assume exists, but equity doesn’t. Once we give women that opportunity, provide an equitable platform and take away the barriers then people will be able to thrive in a very healthy Chestermere,” she said.
Adding, “In Chestermere, we are going to do our very best.”
Although the Engaging Women in Municipal Politics initiative is targeted towards women, anyone in the community is invited to participate.
“We want to make this as inclusive as possible, with women at the forefront and everybody else coming in as supporters,” Kinya Mugambi said.
In the new year, the Engaging Women in Municipal Politics initiative will continue with a skill-building workshop, following with a women’s conference in the spring.
For additional information regarding the Engaging Women in Municipal Politics initiative, please email Joanne Kinya Mugambi at diversity@chestermere.ca.
“We want to hear from people about what they would love to see in the community, what barriers they are experiencing, and how we can help them overcome those barriers,” she said.
