According to the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM), women make up approximately 52 per cent of the Canadian population, but only 25 per cent of the country's elected municipal representatives are female.
Canada ranks 46th in the world when it comes to the number of women in politics and FCM's Increasing Women's Participation in Municipal Government workshops aim to change that number.
The workshop made its way to Squamish for two days of sessions this past weekend (Sept. 24 and 25), attracting 20 females from the Sea to Sky Corridor, the Lower Mainland and Vancouver Island.
Squamish resident Sarah Braebrook, who took in both days of the workshop, said she and the other women learned pertinent information about the ins and outs of municipal government.
"It was an excellent workshop," she said. "It was really well planned and provided a lot of basic information that people who want to get involved locally need to know."
Braebrook said the workshop opened her eyes to the amount of work that's required just to declare as a candidate.
"We learned all the rules, regulations and processes of running," she said, noting that a municipal elections clerk was present detailing the procedures one must go through to declare. "The clerk went over all the documents that need to be filled and all the regulations that need to be in place. It's information that the average person on the street probably doesn't know."
Saturday saw the clerk go through what's needed to become a candidate, while on Sunday, communication and media skills were discussed.
By the end, Braebrook admitted she wants to become more involved in local politics but declined to say to what extent.
"What I'm taking away from this experience is the understanding that people need to care passionately about municipal politics," she said. "People need to know practical ways of improving council and make sure there's no hidden agendas."
Susie Gimse, veteran Pemberton and Squamish Lillooet Regional District (SLRD) representative, spoke to the group on Sunday. She said she's somewhat puzzled at the lack of female voices in municipal politics in the Sea to Sky Corridor.
"I've seen a decrease in women in the Sea to Sky Corridor during my time in politics here," she said, "and I don't really know why. It's a huge time commitment and maybe people are more concerned about their careers, which makes it harder to find time."
Gimse noted that she's the only woman on the SLRD board and there are only two females out of seven members of Squamish council, with Coun. Corrine Lonsdale not seeking re-election this year. She pointed out that only one female, Susan Chapelle, has so far declared her intention to run for council.
Gimse also offered advice for those interested in joining the fray.
"Get comfortable with conflict," she said. "A lot of women I've spoken to have said they don't like the fact that there always seems to be a lot of conflict on council, but that's all part of the process. If we all agreed, life would be boring and I think we make better decisions with conflict. It's not necessarily a bad thing.
"You will often be in a situation on council where there are a lot of diverse views," she added. "It's a bit of a give and take. Just don't be afraid of conflict."
For more information on the FCM, visit www.fcm.ca.
