Status of Women committee  I believe that party quotas are one of the worst things we can do for the advancement of the equality of women, because they demean women down to nothing but their gender. We can scrutinize men for catcalling us because of heels, but is that worse than a woman essentially saying to another woman, “You're nothing but those heels”?

Status of Women committee  When I first got involved in politics, I erred more on the side of free markets, free ideas, and fundamental rights and freedoms, what is typically considered right wing. That's not to delve into my personal ideology, because I feel it's not necessarily relevant in this matter, but the moment you even begin to hint ideologically that you are a woman and you are perhaps on the right wing, you suddenly get ostracized, because that's not the correct view, apparently.

Status of Women committee  I think we need to raise greater awareness of the fact that women have been in politics, they are in politics, who those women are, and what made them successful. I believe in getting personal in this matter. You're a woman who has been elected to office. Share your experiences.

Status of Women committee  I'm glad you asked that, because I think that's absolutely ridiculous. I think any woman who is perfectly qualified and democratically elected ought to be able to hold a chairmanship that she deserves. I think that demeaning that woman and saying she's anti-women is against the entire spirit of a committee on women.

Status of Women committee  I think we really need to pause and consider why it's so seemingly important that we need to shock the system. We may be 60th in the world and we may have less than 30%, but I like to think that our members of Parliament who are women are really astounding. I think we should be highlighting them and commenting on the fact that they worked hard for their position, and they are providing role models to young women.

Status of Women committee  Certainly. I don't disagree with the idea of having non-partisan spaces where women can collectively share their experiences within politics—their hopes, their dreams, their fears. I think those can be very positive forces for women. That said, when we talk about training, it's a question for me, at least, of whether the government ought to be mandating training, or whether women ought to be taking the initiative to seek non-profit training.

Status of Women committee  If you're referring to, say, a cabinet position or a parliamentary secretary position, which I think is what you're alluding to, then, yes, just as there are unqualified men who shouldn't be cabinet ministers or parliamentary secretaries. I firmly believe in a merit-based system and and that we have the best person for the position, again, regardless of gender.

Status of Women committee  I think that's a really great question. I spent some time in engineering as a student, and we encountered that same sort of question. Which women ought to be in engineering? I think it's people who have a passion and curiosity for it. When it comes to the ideal public servant, I don't profess to have an answer, but I think it should be people who care about the issues they represent, who are passionate, and who want to be involved in politics.

Status of Women committee  A woman who doesn't want to be there. It sounds like a relatively simple answer, but I think that we go so far as to put pressure on women to pursue male-dominated careers because they are able to. I think that has a very negative impact on women. We are all too quick to associate feminine careers as careers that women in a perfectly equal world shouldn't be in, but they want to.

Status of Women committee  Absolutely. Again, I don't like the idea of our painting a picture of the perfect woman in politics, just as I don't like the idea of painting a picture of a perfect member of Parliament. In my mind, growing up as someone who's loved politics since grade 5, the ideal member of Parliament was the person who was passionate about it and represented their constituents the best.

Status of Women committee  Very quickly, I think we look at it in two situations. If you're looking simply at a member of Parliament, you look at how well they representing their constituents. If you're looking at a cabinet minister, you look at how well or effectively the public can trust them to do their job.

Status of Women committee  It's amazing because I find the greatest social change takes place outside of governments and amongst the people. I think we give government too much credit when we say they're responsible for the change we want to see in society. I think that people who pursue ambitions to be a member of government can do great things, but when it comes to the issue of women in politics, I really feel that it's best done at the societal level.

Status of Women committee  Yes, I can hear you.

Status of Women committee  Thank you, Madam Chair and members of the committee. My name is Shal Marriott. It is my pleasure to stand before you today and speak on a subject that I believe is of the utmost importance in politics today, and that's the barriers that actively face women. I wish to make it clear that the perspective I'm speaking from is not one that's grounded in empirical facts and figures, nor do I profess to understand the intricacies of every opinion that every member of my gender has.