Centre femmes de la Mitis

Published purpose

This 27-month project will support a feminist response to and recovery from the current impacts of COVID-19 through systemic changes. To achieve this, the Centre femmes de La Mitis intends to support its regional county municipality (RCM) in implementing concrete measures, such as adopting inclusive codes of conduct, to reform practices and promote women's participation in political life. Using tools developed by the Table de Concertation des Groupes de Femmes du Bas-Saint-Laurent, the organization will work with elected municipal officials and their teams to bring about changes that will help women access spaces for dialogue and deliberation. Municipalities will be supported in the development of initiatives to encourage women in the community to get involved in politics and to help them pursue careers within decision-making bodies. Women who have been elected to council or who are interested in getting involved in municipal politics will be equipped with tools to help their voices be heard. Networking activities and recognizing influential women will draw attention to women's civic leadership in the Lower St. Lawrence region. By the end of the project, the organization aims to have helped remove systemic barriers by promoting inclusive policies and practices; by enhancing networks and collaboration to expedite systemic change; by supporting a positive distribution of power, the right to speak, and decision-making authority; and by addressing harmful norms and attitudes that persist on gender in support of women's equality.