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. In fact, it can be argued that it is a feminine government, as the number of women government members is almost double that of men. Yet this significant accomplishment has received little attention in the media. Similarly, the disintegration of the governing Yukon Liberal Party in the 2025 general election got more attention than how men are a minority in the resulting legislature.
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 as being the jurisdiction where its first woman elected, Mary Ellen Smith, was also the first in the British Empire to become a cabinet minister and deputy speaker. 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.
