Jody Wilson-Raybould not seeking re-election part of distressing trend: equality advocates

VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – Jody Wilson-Raybould’s decision to not run in the next federal election, whenever that may be, is disappointing news for those who are actively encouraging more women to enter politics.

Eleanor Fast, executive director of Equal Voice, says it’s part of a distressing trend of women leaving the stage before their time.

“The men who aren’t seeking re-election, most of them are doing so because they’re of an age where they would be thinking about retirement. But look at the women who are not seeking re-election. Many of them are right there in the prime of their careers,” she told NEWS 1130.

“It’s really disappointing any time any woman decides not to stay in politics. It’s particularly upsetting, of course, to see women who are basically in the prime of their careers decide that politics is no longer the place for them.”

Wilson-Raybould, who was Canada’s first Indigenous justice minister, says her decision was “not an easy or quick” one to make.

“I have not made this decision in order to spend more time with my family or to focus on other challenges and pursuits,” the Independent MP for Vancouver Granville writes in an open letter shared online Thursday.

I am sharing some news today: https://t.co/0F2uLRbq7S pic.twitter.com/0eONBUGCWi

— Jody Wilson-Raybould 王州迪 Vancouver Granville (@Puglaas) July 8, 2021

In it, she says Parliament Hill has become “toxic and ineffective.” Her letters detail a concerning picture of what Canadian politics has become, adding individuals from certain backgrounds are often marginalized.

“Federal politics is, in my view, increasingly a disgraceful triumph of harmful partisanship over substantive action,” Wilson-Raybould said.

Fast worries negative experiences like those outlined by Wilson-Raybould and others may discourage other women from entering the public sphere.

“We have a lot of women who express that they don’t want to get into politics because they see what other women politicians are subjected to online. And that’s a big problem,” Fast explained.

She says there are many structural barriers that stop women from entering — and staying — in public life. She adds they are also the subject of greater online abuse than their male counterparts.

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Related articles: 

• Jody Wilson-Raybould won’t seek re-election

• ‘Pretty words, empty promises:’ Nunavut MP’s farewell highlights systemic racism, failure on reconciliation

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Wilson-Raybould’s poignant letter is not the only one that’s painted a concerning picture of politics in this country of late.

In June, Nunavut MP Mumilaaq Qaqqaq gave a powerful farewell speech in the House of Commons, calling out the federal government and other institutions for refusing to take action on critical issues facing Inuit people.

She described her time in chamber as “survival mode.”

“Every time I walk on to House of Commons ground, speak in these chambers, I’m reminded every step of the way — I don’t belong here,” Qaqqaq said on June 15. “I have never felt safe or protected in my position, especially within the House of Commons, often having pep talks with myself in the elevator, or taking a moment in the bathroom stall to maintain my composure.”

-With files from Lisa Steacy