by Maurice Y. Michaud (he/him)
The 2024 general election in British Columbia made history not because the Conservatives, almost inexistant since the 1950s, rose to form the official opposition, but because it is the first legislature in Canada to have 50 women but 43 men. Yet this significant accomplishment has received little attention in the media.
Interestingly, as can be uncovered in “Deck stacked against them,” British Columbia is one of the rare Canadian jurisdictions where, in the last few assemblies, the proportion of women elected is greater than the proportion of women who run as candidates. It also stands out for being the jurisdiction where the first woman elected, Mary Ellen Smith, also became the first female cabinet minister and the first female deputy speaker in the British Empire. And in 1991, Rita Johnston was the first woman to become premier of a Canadian province. Yet it is not that British Columbia is fundamentally a “progressive” province, for only six of its 43 governments have been led by a left-of-centre party, and its trendline has been more right-of-centre.
Uncover the electoral results of all women candidates in each jurisdiction.
The vast majority are from 1967 onwards.
