Women in Local Government: Getting to 30% by 2026
Canada needs more women in government, and the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) wants their numbers increased from the current 21.4% of municipal councils to 30% by 2026.
The United Nations defines 30% as the minimal percentage of women required for government to reflect women’s concerns. Women represent 12.9% of mayors and 22.9% of councillors in Canada, for an average of 21.4%, and a total of 5,242 women out of a total of 24,542 mayors and councillors.
Based on current statistics, Canada would need 2,120 more women in elected office today to reach the 30% target. That means increasing the number of women in municipal government by roughly 100 every year for the next 20 years.
To support this effort, FCM has developed a set of strategies and tactics that municipal councils can use to further the involvement of women in municipal government. These are based on discussions from a series of workshops and events held across the country in 2005–2006.
