It’s a historic moment in Quebec politics.
After the October 1st election, women could present 45 per cent of members of the National Assembly.
As Quebecers prepare to jump in to an election campaign, there’s a big jump in the number of women who’ll be running.
Numbers compiled by Le Journal de Montreal show they’ll account for nearly half of all candidates.
The biggest increase comes from the Coalition Avenir Quebec.
In the last election, 23 per cent of its candidates were women. This time, it’s 48 per cent.
The Liberals are going from 28 to 42 per cent, Quebec Solidaire from 50 to 53 per cent.
The PQ, however, is stagnant at 37 per cent.
“I’m pleasantly surprised and I’m glad because I think it’s important for all groups to be represented in politics,” said political commentator Anne Lagace-Dowson, who ran for the NDP federally.
“We know there’s increasing cynicism – the voter turnout is dropping, people tend to say ‘oh well, what’s the point, they’re all the same,’” she explained. “If they see there is actual diversity amongst the candidates, that might motivate a certain number of people.”
Back in April, while not all parties supported a bill calling for gender parity in the provincial cabinet, they all supported the idea.
It’s a sign of the times, but for Eric Montigny- a political analyst at Laval University – it’s also a political calculation, especially for the CAQ.
“What we’ve seen since a few weeks ago is an increase in the support of women toward the CAQ, and one of the things we have to say is that it can be related to the fact that Francois Legault is able to recruit more women,” he said.
Voters who spoke to CTV Montreal said that gender balance is something they will consider in the voting booth.
Right now, women represent roughly 30 per cent of MNA’s. That puts Quebec’s National Assembly at 47th place in world rankings.
