Women in Canadian Politics - Women As Provincial and Territorial Representatives

Women As Provincial and Territorial Representatives

At the provincial level, the first woman elected to a provincial legislature was Louise McKinney, who was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Alberta in 1917. Another woman, Roberta MacAdams, was elected in the same election – however, McKinney was elected to a conventional electoral district, while MacAdams was elected to a special temporary district allotted to soldiers in combat during World War I, and thus McKinney's victory was certified first.

The first woman to serve as a provincial cabinet minister was Mary Ellen Smith, who was elected to the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia in 1918 and was appointed to the cabinet in 1921. McKinney and Smith were also the first women in the entire British Empire to hold those distinctions, and MacAdams became the first woman in both Canada and the British Empire to introduce a piece of legislation for debate. Nancy Hodges became the first woman in both Canada and the Commonwealth of Nations to be elected as the Speaker of a legislature — although Smith had also previously served a short stint as Acting Speaker, and was similarly the first woman in both Canada and the British Empire to do so.

Hilda Watson, who became the first leader of the newly formed Progressive Conservative Party in the Yukon, led her party to victory in the 1978 territorial election, the territory's first partisan legislative election – however, she was defeated in her own riding by another woman, Alice McGuire, and therefore did not become government leader.

Canada's first woman premier, Rita Johnston, took office under similar circumstances to Kim Campbell. Johnston won the leadership of the governing Social Credit Party in 1991, becoming Premier of British Columbia, but the party was defeated in the subsequent general election.

To date, only two women, Liberal Catherine Callbeck in Prince Edward Island and Liberal Pat Duncan in the Yukon, have become premier of a province or territory by leading their party to victory in a general election. Callbeck's Liberals were elected in 1993 and Duncan's won in 2000. Nellie Cournoyea in the Northwest Territories and Eva Aariak in Nunavut have served as territorial premiers through a non-partisan consensus government system in which they were selected by their colleagues in the legislative assembly rather than by leading a political party to victory. Kathy Dunderdale in Newfoundland and Labrador first became interim premier due to the resignation of her predecessor Danny Williams, and subsequently won the 2011 election – a victory which made her the first woman in Canadian history to be successfully re-elected to a premiership.

Williams' resignation also meant that all three major political parties in Newfoundland and Labrador were simultaneously led by women for the first time; however, opposition leader Yvonne Jones stepped down due to a breast cancer diagnosis less than a year later.

Ten women are currently serving as leaders of political parties which hold legislative seats at the provincial level:

• Christy Clark (British Columbia Liberal Party),
• Françoise David (Québec solidaire),
• Kathy Dunderdale (Progressive Conservative Party of Newfoundland and Labrador),
• Elizabeth Hanson (Yukon New Democratic Party),
• Andrea Horwath (Ontario New Democratic Party),
• Pauline Marois (Parti Québécois),
• Lorraine Michael (New Democratic Party of Newfoundland and Labrador),
• Alison Redford (Progressive Conservative Association of Alberta),
• Danielle Smith (Wildrose Party)
• Kathleen Wynne (Ontario Liberal Party).

Clark, Dunderdale, Redford, Marois and Wynne are currently serving as premiers of their respective provinces; Hanson and Smith are currently serving as Leader of the Official Opposition; Horwath and Michael lead third parties.

Two women are currently serving as Deputy Premiers, Elaine Taylor in Yukon and Deb Matthews in Ontario.