TEAM SENATOR DONNA DASKO
Hello students,
Looking forward to our session on Monday!
My topic for your project focuses on the lack of women in our Parliament in Canada and what, if any actions, might be undertaken to improve this situation and these outcomes.
In the last federal election in 2021, women won 30. 5 percent of the seats in parliament. That’s significantly less than women’s share of the total population, which is 52 percent. As well, Canada ranks 63rd in the world for our representation of women ; that means that 62 countries have more women in their Parliaments than we do.
The first question to answer is whether we should try to do something to change this situation, or not? If we don’t take any action, will the situation improve or not? If we say “yes” , we should take action, then we have to understand the reasons behind this underrepresentation, which will in turn suggest what might be done.
What might be the reason or reasons behind this underrepresentation? Here are some possible reasons:
Maybe women are not interested in running, so that it’s hard for parties to find women candidates to run.
Maybe women have more difficulty raising money for a campaign.
Maybe voters have prejudices against women so are less likely to vote for women and more likely to vote for men.
Maybe the political parties are not making the efforts to find women to run; they don’t make it a priority, or they don’t have women running in the best ridings where their party is strong.
Maybe our electoral system is not very good in bringing forward women candidates.
Of course, there may be more than one reason to explain the situation.
Identifying the source of the “problem” then lends itself to possible ways to go forward. These actions might be voluntary (such as urging the political parties to do more) or educational (such as efforts urging women/girls to run) or legislation (such as requiring parties to report their actions, or take actions ,or achieve outcomes, or changing the electoral system). And more than one set of actions may be recommended.
As a Senator, I have drafted a Bill which focuses on data collection and a requirement that parties report on their actions. The attached summary describes the bill. Of course, you may have other ideas!
See you online on Monday morning!
Donna Dasko
Bill S-283 summary January 29 2024 FINAL.docxYOUR MISSION...
Thank you for being here and doing this work. Your effort, initiative, thoughts, and contributions are what will make your team successful.
END STATE: Create a short presentation that demonstrates the following:
You understand the question. (WHAT)
You understand the issue and the complexities or difficulties that the Bill or idea is trying to address. (HOW the WHAT unfolds)
Offer a solution(s) or idea(s) that can improve the situation. Be thoughtful. (HOW the problem can be addressed)
Explain and / or defend your idea; why is it a good approach or idea to address the problem. (WHY this is correct)
Give a composed summary.
ROLES for You and Your TEAMMATES:
delegate tasks like research,
break the issue into components to explore,
some team members can focus on the slides,
identify presenters early
give yourself time to practice.
ROLES of Adults:
Encourage and guide.
Adults are not here to help you answer your question. They are here to guide you as you explore, or when you 'hit a wall', or seek clarity. WHEN YOU ASK.
SCHEDULE- use your time wisely - it will go fast!
10:00 - Meet your politician and get the problem
10:30-11:30 - research
11:30-12:00 - build the presentation (continue research)
12:00 - Lunch and a presentation from Senator Loffreda.
(12:45-14:00 Senator Loffreda will travel between teams to give you some presentation advice.)
13:00 - Final research and prep
14:00 - Presentations
