Equal Voice

Published purpose

This 27-month project will enable Equal Voice to advance women’s leadership and decision-making through systemic change in Canada’s legislations. Equal Voice will achieve this by encouraging women and girls in leadership and decision-making positions in formal political systems by creating and updating policies and procedures in Canada’s legislations using a GBA+ lens. Equal Voice will work to ensure that Canada’s legislatures emerge from the pandemic as more gender-sensitive institutions. The first part of this project will be to conduct research amongst elected officials, and legislative staff at all levels of government into the way their legislatures have been working remotely, and how some of these modifications can be permanently incorporated. For the second part of the project, Equal Voice will hold a series of virtual summits to convene elected officials to share learning, knowledge, to promote advocacy change, and to build a nationwide network for change. The third part of the project involves drafting relevant policies, presenting to Standing Committees in legislatures, to political caucuses, and working with the administration within legislatures. Simultaneously, this project will encourage women and girls in leadership and decision-making positions through a knowledge mobilization campaign (reports, blogs, media engagement); leveraging and celebrating the success of changes in legislatures to encourage more women to participate in formal political institutions. The overall success of the project will be measured by the creation of new and updated policies and procedures within legislations across Canada that reduce barriers to women’s participation