Women in the 41st Canadian Parliament

Last updated

The 41st Canadian Parliament includes a record number of female Members of Parliament, with 76 women elected to the House of Commons of Canada in the 2011 election. [1] This represents a gain of seven seats over the previous record of 69 women in the 40th Canadian Parliament. By contrast, the 112th United States Congress had 72 women sitting in the 435-seat United States House of Representatives, and the 113th United States Congress has 81.

Contents

Of those 76 women, 38 were elected for the first time in the 2011 election. This included former PSAC president Nycole Turmel, who was the first woman to hold the position. She later accepted the role of interim leader of the NDP with the unanimous support of caucus, after Jack Layton took a temporary leave of absence to fight a second bout of cancer. Layton died on August 22, 2011, at which time Turmel formally assumed the title of Leader of the Opposition. She held the post until the election of Thomas Mulcair as leader of the NDP, and was the second woman to serve as Leader of the Opposition (the first was Deborah Grey).

The Green Party's Elizabeth May was the first woman leader of a political party to be elected to the House of Commons since former NDP leader Alexa McDonough. As they hold only two seats, the Greens are not recognized as having official party status in the House of Commons.

As well as a record number of women overall, the 41st Parliament will also contain a record number of younger women, with 18 women MPs who were under the age of 40 on election day, compared to just five in the previous Parliament. [2]

The longest-serving women in the 41st Parliament are Hedy Fry and Diane Ablonczy, who were first elected in the 1993 election.

Three women who were elected in the 2011 election have since resigned their seats and four women have been elected in by-elections. As of November 17, 2014, there are 77 women currently serving in the House of Commons, and 258 women have served overall in the body's history.

Party standings

PartyTotal women candidates% women candidates of total candidatesTotal women elected% women elected of total women candidates% women elected of total elected
New Democrats 124 (of 308)40.3%40 (of 103)32.3%38.8%
Conservative 68 (of 307)22.1%28 (of 166)41.2%16.9%
Liberal 90 (of 308)29.2%7 (of 34)6.7%20.6%
Green 99 (of 304)32.6%1 (of 1)1.0%100.0%
Bloc Québécois 24 (of 75)32.0%1 (of 4)4.2%25.0%
Table source: [3]

Members

† denotes women who were newly elected in the 2011 election and are serving their first term in office. †† denotes women who were not members of the 40th Parliament, but previously served in another parliament.

NamePartyElectoral districtNotes
  Diane Ablonczy Conservative Calgary—Nose Hill
  Eve Adams Liberal Mississauga—Brampton South Crossed the floor to the Liberal Party from Conservative Party on February 9, 2015.
  Leona Aglukkaq Conservative Nunavut
  Stella Ambler Conservative Mississauga South
  Rona Ambrose Conservative Edmonton—Spruce Grove
  Niki Ashton New Democrat Churchill
  Paulina Ayala New Democrat Honoré-Mercier
  Joyce Bateman Conservative Winnipeg South Centre
  Carolyn Bennett Liberal St. Paul's
  Candice Bergen Conservative Portage—Lisgar
  Lysane Blanchette-Lamothe New Democrat Pierrefonds—Dollard
  Kelly Block Conservative Saskatoon—Rosetown—Biggar
  Françoise Boivin†† New Democrat Gatineau
  Charmaine Borg New Democrat Terrebonne—Blainville
  Marjolaine Boutin-Sweet New Democrat Hochelaga
  Ruth Ellen Brosseau New Democrat Berthier—Maskinongé
  Lois Brown Conservative Newmarket—Aurora
  Chris Charlton New Democrat Hamilton Mountain
  Olivia Chow New Democrat Trinity—Spadina Resigned from the House of Commons on March 12, 2014.
  Joan Crockatt Conservative Calgary Centre Elected in a by-election on November 26, 2012.
  Jean Crowder New Democrat Nanaimo—Cowichan
  Pat Davidson Conservative Sarnia—Lambton
  Libby Davies New Democrat Vancouver East
  Anne-Marie Day New Democrat Charlesbourg—Haute-Saint-Charles
  Rosane Doré Lefebvre New Democrat Alfred-Pellan
  Kirsty Duncan Liberal Etobicoke North
  Linda Duncan New Democrat Edmonton—Strathcona
  Kerry-Lynne Findlay Conservative Delta—Richmond East
  Diane Finley Conservative Haldimand—Norfolk
  Judy Foote Liberal Random—Burin—St. George's
  Chrystia Freeland Liberal Toronto Centre Elected in a by-election on November 25, 2013.
  Mylène Freeman New Democratic Party Argenteuil—Papineau—Mirabel
  Hedy Fry Liberal Vancouver Centre
  Cheryl Gallant Conservative Renfrew—Nipissing—Pembroke
  Shelly Glover Conservative Saint Boniface
  Nina Grewal Conservative Fleetwood—Port Kells
  Sadia Groguhé New Democrat Saint-Lambert
  Sana Hassainia New Democrat Verchères—Les Patriotes
  Carol Hughes New Democrat Algoma—Manitoulin—Kapuskasing
  Roxanne James Conservative Scarborough Centre
  Yvonne Jones Liberal Labrador Elected in a by-election on May 13, 2013.
  Alexandrine Latendresse New Democrat Louis-Saint-Laurent
  Hélène Laverdière New Democrat Laurier—Sainte-Marie
  Hélène LeBlanc New Democrat LaSalle—Émard
  Kellie Leitch Conservative Simcoe—Grey
  Megan Leslie New Democrat Halifax
  Laurin Liu New Democrat Rivière-des-Mille-Îles
  Irene Mathyssen New Democrat London—Fanshawe
  Elizabeth May Green Saanich—Gulf Islands Leader of the Green Party.
  Cathy McLeod Conservative Kamloops—Thompson—Cariboo
  Élaine Michaud New Democrat Portneuf—Jacques-Cartier
  Christine Moore New Democrat Abitibi—Témiscamingue
  Isabelle Morin New Democrat Notre-Dame-de-Grâce—Lachine
  Marie-Claude Morin New Democrat Saint-Hyacinthe—Bagot
  Maria Mourani Bloc Québécois Ahuntsic
  Joyce Murray Liberal Vancouver Quadra
  Peggy Nash†† New Democrat Parkdale—High Park
  Bev Oda Conservative Durham Resigned from the House of Commons on July 31, 2012.
  Tilly O'Neill-Gordon Conservative Miramichi
  Annick Papillon New Democrat Québec
  Ève Péclet New Democrat La Pointe-de-l'Île
  Pat Perkins Conservative Whitby—Oshawa Elected in a by-election on November 17, 2014.
  Manon Perreault New Democrat Montcalm
  Anne Minh-Thu Quach New Democrat Beauharnois—Salaberry
  Lisa Raitt Conservative Halton
  Francine Raynault New Democrat Joliette
  Michelle Rempel Conservative Calgary Centre-North
  Lise St-Denis New Democrat Saint-Maurice—Champlain
  Denise Savoie New Democrat Victoria Resigned from the House of Commons on August 31, 2012.
  Djaouida Sellah New Democrat Saint-Bruno—Saint-Hubert
  Jinny Sims New Democrat Newton—North Delta
  Judy Sgro Liberal York West
  Gail Shea Conservative Egmont
  Rathika Sitsabaiesan New Democrat Scarborough—Rouge River
  Joy Smith Conservative Kildonan—St. Paul
  Susan Truppe Conservative London North Centre
  Nycole Turmel New Democrat Hull—Aylmer Interim Leader of the Official Opposition from August 23, 2011, to March 23, 2012.
  Alice Wong Conservative Richmond
  Lynne Yelich Conservative Blackstrap
  Wai Young Conservative Vancouver South

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jack Layton</span> Canadian politician (1950–2011)

John Gilbert Layton was a Canadian academic and politician who served as the leader of the New Democratic Party (NDP) from 2003 to 2011 and leader of the Official Opposition in 2011. He previously sat on Toronto City Council, occasionally holding the title of acting mayor or deputy mayor of Toronto during his tenure as city councillor. Layton was the member of Parliament (MP) for Toronto—Danforth from 2004 until his death.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leader of the Official Opposition (Canada)</span> Position in the Parliament of Canada

The leader of the Official Opposition, formally known as the leader of His Majesty's Loyal Opposition, is the politician who leads the Official Opposition in Canada, typically the leader of the party possessing the most seats in the House of Commons that is not the governing party or part of the governing coalition.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peter Stoffer</span> Canadian politician

Peter Arend Stoffer is a Canadian politician, who represented the riding of Sackville—Eastern Shore or its redistributed equivalents from the 1997 election until his defeat in the 2015 election. A member of the New Democratic Party, Stoffer served as the Official Opposition Critic for Veterans Affairs after his party became the official opposition after the 2011 election.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Françoise Boivin</span> Canadian politician

Françoise Boivin is a Canadian politician, who represented the electoral district of Gatineau in the House of Commons of Canada until 2015.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peggy Nash</span> Canadian politician

Peggy A. Nash is a Canadian labour official and politician from Toronto, Ontario, Canada. She was the New Democratic Party (NDP) Member of Parliament (MP) for the Parkdale—High Park electoral district (riding) in Toronto, and was the Official Opposition's Industry Critic. Before becoming a parliamentarian, she worked as a labour official at the Canadian Auto Workers union (CAW).

Upon the dissolution of the 39th Canadian Parliament, 65 of the 308 seats were held by women. Canada ranks 45th in the world in representation of women in the national lower house.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">40th Canadian Parliament</span> 2008–2011 term of the Canadian federal legislative body

The 40th Canadian Parliament was in session from November 18, 2008 to March 26, 2011. It was the last Parliament of the longest-running minority government in Canadian history that began with the previous Parliament. The membership of its House of Commons was determined by the results of the 2008 federal election held on October 14, 2008. Its first session was then prorogued by the Governor General on December 4, 2008, at the request of Prime Minister Stephen Harper, who was facing a likely no-confidence motion and a coalition agreement between the Liberal party and the New Democratic Party with the support of the Bloc Québécois. Of the 308 MPs elected at the October 14, 2008 general election, 64 were new to Parliament and three sat in Parliaments previous to the 39th: John Duncan, Jack Harris and Roger Pomerleau.

The New Democratic Party is a federal political party in Canada. Widely described as social democratic, the party occupies the centre-left of the political spectrum, with the party generally sitting to the left of the Liberal Party. The party was founded in 1961 by the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation (CCF) and the Canadian Labour Congress (CLC).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2011 Canadian federal election</span>

The 2011 Canadian federal election was held on May 2, 2011, to elect members to the House of Commons of Canada of the 41st Canadian Parliament.

This article covers the history of the New Democratic Party of Canada.

The 40th Canadian Parliament contained a record number of female Members of Parliament, with 69 women elected to the House of Commons of Canada in the 2008 federal election. However, this represented just 22 per cent of the 308 total MPs, and only a modest gain over the 65 women in the 39th Canadian Parliament.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Timeline of the 2011 Canadian federal election</span>

This article outlines the events leading up to the 41st Canadian federal election of May 2, 2011, starting with the prior election.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Results of the 2011 Canadian federal election</span> Results of the 41st Canadian federal election

The 41st Canadian federal election was held on May 2, 2011. It resulted in a Conservative majority government under the leadership of Prime Minister Stephen Harper. It was the third consecutive election win for Harper, and with 166 of 308 seats, giving them a majority government for the first time in their eight-year history. It was also the first right-of-centre majority government since the Progressive Conservatives won their last majority in 1988. The Conservative Party won 39.62% of the popular vote, an increase of 1.96%, and posted a net gain of 24 seats in the House of Commons.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Official Opposition Shadow Cabinet of the 41st Parliament of Canada</span>

The Official Opposition Shadow Cabinet in Canada is composed of members of the main Opposition party responsible for holding the Government to account and for developing and disseminating the party's policy positions. Members of the Official Opposition are generally referred to as Opposition Critics, but the term Shadow Minister is also used.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sana Hassainia</span> Canadian politician

Sana Hassainia is a Tunisian born Canadian politician. She was elected to the House of Commons of Canada in the 2011 election as the New Democratic Member of Parliament for Verchères—Les Patriotes. She left the NDP caucus on August 20, 2014 as the result of a dispute with NDP leader Thomas Mulcair's position on the Israeli–Palestinian conflict and completed her term as an Independent MP.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nycole Turmel</span> Canadian politician and labour leader (born 1942)

Nycole Turmel is a Canadian politician who served as the member of Parliament (MP) for Hull—Aylmer from 2011 to 2015. A member of the New Democratic Party (NDP), Turmel served as the party's interim leader from 2011 to 2012.

This is a timeline for the 42nd Canadian federal election, which took place in October 2015.

The 42nd Canadian Parliament includes a record number of female Members of Parliament, with 88 women elected to the 338-member House of Commons of Canada (26%) in the 2015 election. This represents a gain of twelve seats over the previous record of 76 women in the 41st Canadian Parliament. By contrast, the 114th United States Congress had 105 women sitting in the 435-seat United States House of Representatives.

The 43rd Canadian Parliament once again set a record number of female Members of Parliament, with 98 women elected to the 338-member House of Commons of Canada (28.9%) in the 2019 election. Of those 98 women, 31 were elected for the first time in the 2019 election. 2 more women were elected in by-elections in October 2020, reaching the historic milestone of 100 women in the House of Commons for the first time. This represents a gain of twelve seats over the previous record of 88 women in the 42nd Canadian Parliament. By contrast, the 116th United States Congress had 102 women sitting in the 435-seat United States House of Representatives (23.4%).

The 44th Canadian Parliament includes a record number of female Members of Parliament, with 103 women elected to the 338-member House of Commons of Canada (30.5%) in the 2021 election. Of those 103 women, 22 were elected for the first time in the 2021 election. This represents a gain of five seats over the previous record of 98 women elected at the beginning of the 43rd Canadian Parliament, and a gain of three seats from the record high of 100 women during the previous parliamentary session following by-elections.

References

  1. "Record number of women elected". CBC News, May 3, 2011.
  2. "Parliament gets a makeover: An influx of young women could help change Canadian politics for good". Ottawa Citizen , May 6, 2011.
  3. Parliament of Canada: Women Candidates in General Elections