April 4, 2007

A timely invitation for women

By Brianna Hammer
bhammer@uwo.ca

Jacqueline Gauthier has been up since 4 a.m. and working since five. It's a routine that she's nailed down over 17 years as a co-host of BX 93 FM's morning show.

But these days, at 10 a.m., Gauthier transforms from radio broadcaster to would-be politician.

This morning she's wide awake, stopping for a coffee at Sebastian's Market on Richmond Street as she switches gears from her radio duties to a day full of meetings and campaigning.

"Why am I running? Basically because I can," Gauthier says. "I am very fortunate. I've got an employer who's very encouraging, I've got a husband who's very supportive. And when (new Liberal leader) Stephane Dion said he was looking for strong female candidates I felt compelled to come forward."

While Dion's move to increase the number of Liberal women MPs is encouraging, it may also be a matter of timing that brings them into the House. An advocacy group says that women wait until later in life to bring their experience to politics - and with the tail-end of the baby boom approaching and an increasing number of party leaders encouraging women to jump into the fray, Canadians can expect more female candidates than before in upcoming elections.

Gauthier, 43, is one of two women hoping to clinch the Liberal nomination in the riding of London-Fanshawe. With women's representation in the House sitting at 21 per cent - even though women make up 51 per cent of Canada's population - Gauthier applauds Dion's move to boost the number of women in federal politics by promising one-third of his party's candidates in the next election will be female.

"There's no reason for women not to be in politics," she says. "But I think what it took was Stephane Dion saying 'This is my commitment. I want strong female candidates.'

"I was interviewed a while back and was asked, 'What can we do to get more women involved in politics?' And I said exactly that: 'Encourage us.' Just encourage us. Invite us to the party. And you'd be surprised at how many will show up."

Although the Kitchener native has voted for the Liberal Party since casting her first ballot, she says timing is everything in terms of her decision to seek the nomination now. She cites increasing concern about Canada's role in Afghanistan and the country's stance on the environment as the two driving forces behind her run for the nomination.

"Every day you hear the news, you read the news, you see the news and I just think, 'This isn't the Canada that I know. This isn't who I think we are as Canadians,' " says Gauthier.

"And you do one of two things. You either throw up your hands and give up, which a lot of people do. Or you say, 'Gotta try to change it.' "

Life experience, perfect timing

Denise Bedard, 44, managed to fit in a one-week vacation to Mexico recently while finishing her master's program and carrying out her final research project at Scarborough Caregiving Centre in Toronto.

The Hensall native is in London for just a day, finalizing a new apartment in the city and visiting her children and grandchildren. She's also fit in visits to two of London's long-term care facilities, multitasking by bringing along her mother - a close friend - and fielding calls from Scarborough on her Blackberry.

By 4 p.m. she's ready for a breather, sipping from a can of C-Plus as she animatedly chats about her passion for health care and how she, the "country girl from Hensall," dreams of one day becoming the minister of health.

Bedard is the second female candidate contesting the Liberal nomination in London-Fanshawe.

"Now that I've declared that I'm going to, my friends here in London have said 'Yeah. We knew that was going to be you . . . That's just something we knew you would do in your life.' "

Bedard says tossing her hat into the ring seemed like the next logical step - another chapter in a life she says flows like "a novel." After earning her health sciences degree at Western at 37, she took on administrative roles in long-term care facilities, and eventually applied to earn her master's in health studies leadership. The program led to her involvement with health policy development, which in turn led to her interest in politics.

She, too, credits Stephane Dion with opening the doors wider for women to step into Parliament.

"I think I'm coming at a really good time for that," she says. "And you know what? I find not only Dion himself, but every other member I've run into locally has been supportive of that. And not even just the Liberal party. You know how they say timing is everything? I couldn't have timed it better."

Much to consider

Ann Wicks of advocacy group Equal Voice says a woman's involvement in politics is all about timing.

"When you ask a woman to run, you'll get a different answer than if you ask a man," says Wicks. "For a woman there's too many questions - like how much travel is involved, whether or not it's too far from home, whether or not there are any good schools in the area for the kids. It's difficult to recruit women under the age of 45."

But Wicks also says that political leaders are playing the right cards in encouraging women to get involved.

"A statement of political will cannot be underestimated," she says. "They just have to say 'We want women,' and they'll come forward."

Bedard says it's not just Dion's timing that coincides with her political ambitions, but the timing of her life has given her the experience she believes she needs to serve.

"I'll be done my master's, my career is at a peak, I'm a middle-aged woman," she says. "I can now share not only what I've gone through as far as working; I've got education to go with that now."

Bedard's children are grown and her boyfriend is also involved in government. Gauthier is married, with no children. Wicks says these two women are typical of those who come forward to work in politics.

"From what I can see, the House of Commons is not a family-friendly place to work, and politics is not a family-friendly vocation," says Wicks. She says women are still expected to carry the burden of caring for children and a household, a barrier that prevents them from entering politics until a later age.

"I think it's very difficult for women to run, for a lot of reasons, particularly women who have children," says Gauthier. "I think that's very difficult to do. To do this job well, it's all-consuming."

For Gauthier, however, she simply felt it was time to put her experience to use.

"I have a very good reputation in the community, lots of community work under my belt. I've got a reputation for getting things done and I have strong name recognition. I wanted to use all that to serve my community in a different way on a whole different level."

Wicks says there should be more qualified female candidates in the next federal election than before, when one takes into account the large number of incumbents stepping down, and the increasing number of women passing the 45-year mark as part of the baby boom.

"The pool of candidates is there. There's no excuse for political parties to not go out and find them," she says. "Every political party has a different way of doing this, they each just have to decide which tools to use. But it (women's representation) doesn't happen without doing something."

Although women's representation on the Hill is disproportionate to the population, both Gauthier and Bedard feel that in 2007, women in politics are the norm, not the oddity. And even though their family situations may allow them some flexibility in Parliament, these women would each give up their jobs, should their nomination be successful.

"At (work) they say 'Oh you're not going to leave us Denise, are you? . . . But we know you're gonna because we know that you've got to go to a bigger place," says Bedard. "And I'm going right to the top. Where I can make the most noise."

And while Gauthier looks forward to the challenges ahead, there are aspects of her job at BX93 she'll miss if she's successful in politics.

"We laugh a lot at our work," she says. "Radio people are a pretty interesting and jovial bunch of people who like to have a good time. I'll miss the camaraderie of my coworkers.

What won't I miss? Getting up at 4 a.m."