CFN– NDP Deputy Leader Thomas Mulcair announced his firm commitment to increase the number of female MPs in the NDP caucus and, at the same time, released his full campaign team of co-chairs.
Mulcair said: “According to the World Economic Forum, Canada ranks 36th in the participation and empowerment of women in politics. We land behind countries like Burundi, Latvia and Guyana.”
“In 2006 and 2011, our party set new records for electing women to parliament, but there’s still work to be done. Only about 25% of MPs today are women and even in our own party it’s only about 40%. As leader I will work tirelessly to make that number reach and surpass 50%” he added.
“In order to achieve that goal, we have to stop believing that running 50% female candidates is enough. We have to elect women MPs–that’s the goal. That means recruiting female candidates in ridings we can win and making the participation of women a central part of our candidate search process.”
Paula Simon, former co-chair of the federal women’s council said: “Beyond Tom’s obvious qualities as a leader, I am very pleased with his straight-forward commitment to equality in Canada. Be it his plan to nominate women to at least 50% of all federal boards and agencies or his commitment to increase the number of women in the NDP’s federal caucus, I am convinced that Thomas Mulcair will help us take the next step on women’s equality.”
On Friday, Thomas Mulcair also released final details of his full campaign team, from coast to coast to coast. Mirroring the federal NDP executive’s regional structure, the members are:
National co-chairs:
Renée Taylor, co-chair of the Ontario New Democratic Youth
Lorne Nystrom, former MP from Saskatchewan and former leadership candidate
Atlantic co-chairs:
Paula Simon, former co-chair of the federal NDP’s Women’s Council &Vice-president of the NS NDP
Dominic Cardy, Leader of the New Brunswick NDP
Quebec co-chairs:
Marie-Claude Morin, MP for St-Hyacinthe–Bagot
François Lapointe, MP for Montmagny—L’Islet—Kamouraska—Rivière-du-Loup
Ontario co-chairs:
Theresa Kavanagh, veteran coordinator in the parliamentary Whip’s office
The Hon. Stephen Foster, retired Judge at the Ontario Court of Justice (Criminal division)
Prairie co-chairs:
Rachelle Devine, former federal candidate in Kildonan—St-Paul
Wil Olive, Vice president of the Saskatchewan NDP
BC co-chairs:
Heather Harrison, Treasurer of the BC NDP
Michael Byers, former federal NDP candidate in Vancouver-Centre
Northern co-chair:
Mark Heyck, Deputy Mayor of Yellowknife
A complete list of provincial co-chairs and endorsers are also available on Mr. Mulcair’s website.
Several prominent endorsers have announced their support for Mulcair’s campaign in the last two months including former British Columbia Premier Mike Harcourt, fellow leadership candidates Robert Chisholm and Romeo Saganash, the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) led by President Sharleen Stewart, renowned philosopher Charles Taylor and the United Food and Commercial Workers led by President Wayne Hanley.
