Chapter 12: Media Discourses of Women in Politics in Canada, 2011–2017: The Ecstasy and the Agony

Women remain significantly underrepresented in politics worldwide, and the country that is the focus of this chapter, Canada, has made less progress than many countries, ranking 63rd out of 193 in terms of women represented in national parliaments (Inter-Parliamentary Union, 2017). Some progress has been made in leadership roles: (1) Canada elected its first female provincial premier, Rita Johnston, in 1991; (2) Canada had a female prime minister, Kim Campbell, in 1993; and (3) Canadian cities had a succession of female mayors (Library and Archives Canada, 2000, 2016). For a brief moment in 2013, 50% of Canada’s 12 provinces and territories had female leaders: Eva Aariak in Nunavut, Kathy Dunderdale in Newfoundland and Labrador, Christy Clark in British Columbia, Alison Redford in Alberta, Pauline Marois in Quebec, and Kathleen Wynne in Ontario (CBC News, 2014; Elections Nunavut, 2017; Government of Ontario, 2017; Legislative Assembly of Alberta, 2014; McElroy, 2017; National Assembly of Quebec, 2015).