At the start of Toward Parity, in Canada, women occupied 18% of mayors’ positions and 28% of councillors’ seats. Through this initiative, and our Standing Committee on Increasing Women's Participation in Municipal Government, we worked to shift those numbers upward.

Our objective was to create a pan-Canadian plan to level the playing field for women who run in municipal elections. We wanted to make it easier for them to participate and have their voices heard.

We worked with provincial and territorial municipal associations, Equal Voice, the Canadian Women's Foundation and other organizations at the national, regional and local levels. Through consultations and pilot projects, we identified the barriers that keep women from participating in the political life of their community and looked for the most effective ways to overcome them.

This three-year initiative (2018-2021) was funded by Women and Gender Equality Canada.

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This program is funded by the Department for Women and Gender Equality and implemented in partnership with Equal Voice and the Canadian Women’s Foundation.

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