The Quebec government launches the “Je me présente” campaign
The Quebec government launches the “Je me présente” campaign
The Minister of Municipal Affairs, Ms. Andrée Laforest, and the Minister responsible for the Status of Women, Ms. Isabelle Charest, launched last Friday the first part of the “Je me présente” campaign, which aims to encourage women citizens to submit their candidacy for the various elected municipal positions.
The first part of this campaign is aimed particularly at women. The latter are under-represented at the municipal level when taking statistics across the province. In the 2017 municipal elections, they only accounted for 31.3% of candidates. Minister Laforest, Minister Charest as well as the President of the Council on the Status of Women, Me Louise Cordeau, wish to increase the participation of women in municipal politics. “I encourage all citizens to take the plunge into municipal politics. This is a great way to get involved and make a positive difference in your living environment. As Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing, I sincerely hope that women will be fairly represented in the next general municipal elections. The best time to take action is now! Declared Andrée Laforest, Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing. The ministers also launched a video message emphasizing the value of female leadership in municipal bodies.
The main objective of this component is to encourage citizens to apply for the positions of mayor or municipal councilor. The messages conveyed will allow a better understanding of the profile and role of elected municipal officials. The ministers also wish to send this message to all those who wish to participate in improving their living environment: it is possible to take concrete action within municipal policy. “The participation of women in decision-making processes necessarily leads to a more equitable and egalitarian society. Moreover, the more women are present in municipal democracy, the more they will have the opportunity to influence democratic institutions and make them more welcoming and adapted to their reality. ” explained the Minister responsible for the Status of Women, Isabelle Charest.
Conceived in three parts, the campaign will run from November 2020 to September 2021. It will then target young people and finally, more broadly, the population.
Highlights:
A campaign in three stages:
o Women section: November 2020 to March 2021;
o Youth section: January 2021 to March 2021;
o General public section: April 2021 to September 2021.
To access the video capsule launching the campaign with the Minister of Municipal Affairs, the Minister responsible for the Status of Women and the President of the Council on the Status of Women: https://youtu.be/XNvSTgPPd9s
During the last municipal elections, in 2017:
o In all, 4,472 positions out of a possible just over 8,000 were filled without opposition;
o For 217 municipalities, all positions were filled in this way.
o Only half of the municipalities in the election had had a race for mayor.
