More women needed in city politics, lobby group says

A national lobby group wants more women on the ballot in this fall's municipal election in Thunder Bay.

Equal Voice seeks to promote the election of women at all levels of government.

So far there are seven female candidates seeking council seats, none of which is vying for the mayor's chair.

Nancy Peckford, executive director of Equal Voice, said women face quite a few barriers when they enter into city politics.

Nationally, she said that only 16 per cent of Canada’s mayors are women

Peckford said that women need more support systems when considering entering politics, noting that the current number of women in the House of Commons is about 24 per cent.

"In surveys of the Canadian public, vast majority of Canadians want to see more women in office,” she said. “We need to create opportunities and support systems."

She added that although people might think that municipal politics would be easier for women, that’s not always true, because of the connections people have in small towns.

“Reality is people know each other particularly well in small communities and sometimes women are reluctant to come forward in those environments where they may be seen to be taking on a male incumbent,” she said.

Thursday evening there will be an information session for candidates and potential candidates for the fall election at the West Thunder Community Centre.