For the first time ever, 100 members of parliament in the House of Commons are women. On Dec. 8, Elect Her UVic, a club dedicated to promoting the participation of women and marginalized communities in politics, hosted their very first Women in Politics panel discussion.The panel brought together seven women who are involved in the Canadian political scene to speak about their experiences and the continued underrepresentation of women and minority groups in politics. We also have a female representation gap at every level of government. The increase represents a modest gain in terms of representation, with women now accounting for 26 … The Government of Canada will continue to champion gender equality and take concrete steps to ensure women and girls can succeed in Canada and around the world. Nationwide, only 88 female MPs were actually elected by Canadian voters, which marks female representation in the House of Commons at 26%. In 2016, the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women published a report presenting its concluding observations on the latest periodic reports of Canada and recommended that the Canadian government step up efforts to increase women’s representation in various decision‑making bodies. In nearly a century since, the representation of women in Canadian politics has improved, but that progress has been slow. Canada’s parliament has hit a historic milestone in female political representation. A record 88 women were elected in the 2015 federal election, up from 76 in 2011. In the absence of action and an intersectional lens being applied to policy reform, the Canadian government remains complicit in the oppression of Black female academics on and off campus. Government of Canada, “Supporting Visible Minority Newcomer Women,” Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (December 5, 2018). Catalyst, Quick Take: Women in the Workforce – Canada. After hearing from 86 of Canada's 91 female MPs, one thing became clear—if we want to see more women in government, there’s a lot of work left … Unsurprisingly, more women in government has significant real-world benefits. Conversely, “we shouldn’t expect a small group of women to represent the diversity of life experience and values that more women would bring to the table.” (Underrepresentation in Canadian politics is even more acute for women of colour.) Facts and figures: Leadership and political participation Women in parliaments. Ryerson University Diversity Institute, Diversity Leads—Diverse Representation in Leadership: A Review of Eight Canadian Cities (2020). Prime Minister Trudeau’s new cabinet is a substantial step towards gender parity in the Canadian government, but on the whole, the country has a long way to go.