A very interesting article on CBC …
[quote]The Harper government has been appointing fewer women to Canada’s more than 200 federal tribunals, boards, agencies and Crown corporations, figures from the Privy Council Office show.According to data provided to CBC News, the percentage of women occupying those jobs from 2002 to December 2005 was about 37 per cent. But when the Conservatives took over in 2006, that percentage began to drop.
A formal response from the office to Liberal MP Anita Neville shows the percentage was about 32.5 per cent from February 2006 to May 2010.
As far as Neville is concerned, the drop is proof that the Harper government is not committed to increasing the number of women who occupy these positions, which total more than 2,000.
For her part, Conservative Senator Marjorie LeBreton insists the criticism is off-base.
Though she concedes that the percentage of women appointees is down under the Conservatives, LeBreton, said it has nothing to do with a lack of commitment to promoting women.
LeBreton insists Neville and other critics are wrong to suggest her government lacks the political will, though she was hard-pressed to name specific measures the Tories have taken to attract more women.
Although she carried out policies to recruit more women in the Mulroney government many years ago, LeBreton sees no need to do the same thing today in Stephen Harper's government.
"The prime minister doesn't have to go out [and talk about the need for more women to apply for positions]. None of us has to go out and say that. It's a given. We're way past that era now. Way past."
Read more: [cbc.ca/canada/story/2011/01/ ... z1AWAGxgM6](http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2011/01/07/mckie-gender-equity.html#ixzz1AWAGxgM6)
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What The Honorable Senator means is that it's hard to find educated and qualified women who are willing to serve as paid or volunteer shills for a conservative party that is hostile to the rights that Canadian Women have gained over the last few decades. As a father of bright daughters, I'm saddened by her comments that we are way past the era when Canada recognized women were a significant marginalized segment of our society and that it was to our advantage to actively recruit bright and committed women to public office.
What she fails to mention is the response by the government posted on the CBC page shows a startling lack of gender equity programs in our public bodies. For decades, Federally legislated corporations have all had to have gender, race and disability equity programs in place but it appears a different standard applies to governmental bodies. No wonder she was hard-pressed to name specific measures the Tories have taken to attract more women.
Read more: [cbc.ca/canada/story/2011/01/ ... z1AW4kXLLg](http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2011/01/07/mckie-gender-equity.html#ixzz1AW4kXLLg)
Government response
[cbc.ca/news/pdf/david-mckie- ... 73-ocr.pdf](http://www.cbc.ca/news/pdf/david-mckie-oct14-2010-8555-403-273-ocr.pdf)