Status of Women committee  Thank you for your question. I think at the local level it's very important to engage young women where they are. Within your riding, at the district level, it's very important to find out what young women are talking about, what they're doing, where they're coming together, whether it be schools, colleges, or campus clubs.

Status of Women committee  I think it is really important to get more young women involved in the political process at a young age. We can do that through mentorship programs as well and by making sure that we are engaging young women in conversations that interest them. So we've experienced at Equal Voice that women under the age of 16 don't like the word “politics”.

Status of Women committee  Good afternoon, Ms. Demers. Thank you for your question. I would ask that Nancy answer the question, if possible.

Status of Women committee  Thank you, Nancy. Thank you for having us here with you today. I will go over some federal, provincial, and municipal numbers before giving it back to Nancy. The number of women elected to political office is actually the highest it has been in Canadian history. Since the 2000 election the number of women elected to the House of Commons has increased from 20% to 22.1% of our 308 members of Parliament.