Waterloo Region leaders angry, disappointed at low gender equality ranking

Waterloo Region finished dead last among25 major Canadian citiesin a report that rankedthe best and worst places for gender inequalityin Canada.

• For women, it's better in Victoria, worse in Kitchener-Waterloo

Published by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, among the criteria explored was the representation of women in leadership roles. In that area, Waterloo Region had one of its more favourable scores, although it still in the lower half of study subjects, ranking16th.

In Waterloo Region councils, male politiciansoutnumber female politicians39to 21. We spoketo past and present female councillors about their experiences and how they're paving the way for future generations of female politicians.

Karen Scian, Waterloo Ward 2 councillor, 2006-2014

Her reaction to the report:

"I'm not surprised by the findings at all and I know a lot of people are talking about their research methodology and what's involved and all the detailsthat's stuff's all really important to me. But, I just know that the findings in this report align with my experience and the experience of many others in our community."

Her experience on council:

"At one point in time, in the city of Waterloo we had the most female councillors and the mayor, more than any council in Canada and that was a real point of pride for us. But the treatment that we endured was pretty astonishing at times.

A lot of verbal things from, either really blatant or anonymous through newspaper columns. I remember being called 'the coven,'by some people. I remember, oh there was all sorts of things, it was kind of a steady thing and I was told repeatedly 'to go back to teaching kindergarten.'"

What we need to do:

"We're always told...don't show them that they're getting to you. But I think we actually need to talk about it, I think we need to talk about all the challenges we have as a society and actually have these conversations so our daughters, and all the young women coming up behind us don't have to face it."

Melissa Durrell, Waterloo Ward 7 councillor, 2010 - present

Her reaction to the report:

"My initial reaction is rage. These are not numbers that I want to see and I really believe they don't represent the community that I live in. That said, I actually really think this shouldn't be a conversation about statistics and data and whether these numbers are right or wrong. What we need to do as female leaders in this community is look at this today and say, what are we going to do to make sure that next time we're not last?"

Her experience on council:

"I'm the only councillor there with young children. So you know I represent the young moms, I suppose, to a certain degree, which is interesting because, one of the things that I'll hear from people is, if a constituent will call me they'll say, 'look I know you're busy with your family, I just have a quick concern about...' whatever it might be. I wonder, I take my job as a mom very seriously, love my kids, love my family, but that's one job and I can separate them and be a politician and represent people just as well. I don't know whether they say that to the men when they call them, I can't answer that question, but I know it's something that I hear a lot."

What we need to do:

"Everybody that's emailed to me today or called me or texted me, or tweeted me, I said look around, and how can you make a difference? So, can you mentor a young woman? If you're sitting on a board of directors, make sure you're nominating strong women for positions, the next time something opens up."

Donna Reid, Cambridge Ward 1 councillor, 2010-present

Her reaction to the report:

"Very disappointed of course. We don't want to be seen as last and we don't want to be last as well. It means a lot of us have a lot more work to do."

Her experience on council:

"I find that women don't see themselves in those roles. Well, first off all there aren't enough of us there to see it as a viable option. And they need someone to come along, tap them on the shoulder and say, 'yes you would be good in this role, would you consider running?'"

What we need to do:

When meeting women who Reid sees a spark of potential in she, "First of all I tap them on the shoulder and I say, hey, I see you have skills and I see these are the kind of skills you have and here's the places you could use those skills. And then I introduce them to people that would also say the same thing to them or people that in their networking would put them in a position where they'd be noticed."

Kelly Galloway-Sealock, Kitchener Ward 5 councillor, 2006-present

Her reaction to the report:

"I think I was a little bit surprised that we would rank that low on the list of things but I think it's also an opportunity now to have a broader discussion."

Her experience on council:

"I wouldn't say [the report]reflects my experience. We all have challenges in our workplace and what we choose to do and I would be no exception to that. There definitely has been some challenges being a woman in politics.

For me, I think sometimes having been a young woman coming onto council it probably took a little bit longer to gain the respect of peers, colleagues and staff around the table than it was in the community. I think for me it was just a matter of letting my actions do the talking and really gain that respect and take the time to build those relationships and help them understand where I was coming from from a political perspective and community perspective."

What we need to do:

"We have to have role models. We have to make it accessible for women to pursue politics. One of things that I've been trying to accomplish through the province is getting the Municipal Act changed just in order to have wording in there that is in respect to maternity or parental leave. Some of that not knowing where you stand might deter you from running.

Right now, within the Municipal Act, which governs how municipal governments operate, it currently has no wording within the Municipal Act that reflects maternity or parental leave. It falls under the jurisdiction in the wording that if you're absent from your seat for more than three consecutive months your seat is deemed vacant, which is very broad. I think it's important in this day and age that we focus on getting the wording of maternity and parental leave in the Municipal Act."