How do you measure success in politics? Too often women in Canadian politics are in support roles and not at the centre stage. In our modern politics success is best measured by getting the top job.
I think being the premier or mayor is the top of the political success ladder so this is a list of women that have been elected as premier of mayor. Premier carries a much larger sense of succes than being mayor.
I ranked them based on how large a population they governed, how often they were elected or re-elected and if they were the first woman to win the position.
- Hazel McCallion - Mayor of Mississauga since 1978
- Christy Clark - Premier of BC since 2011
- Alison Redford - Premier of Alberta since 2011
- Pauline Marois - Premier of Quebec since 2012
- Susan Fennell - Mayor of Brampton since 2000
- Diane Watts - Mayor of Surrey of since 2005
- Kathy Dunderdale - Premier of Newfoundland and Labrador since 2010
- Jan Reimer - Mayor of Edmonton 1989-1992
- Susan Thomson - Mayor of Winnipeg 1992-1998
- Marion Dewar - Mayor of Ottawa 1978-1985
- June Rowlands - Mayor of Toronto 1991-1994
- Barbara Hall - Mayor of Toronto 1994 - 1997
- Andree Boucher - Mayor of Quebec City 2005 till her death in 2007
- Diane Haskett - Mayor of London 1994-2000
- Anne Marie DeCicco-Best - Mayor of London 2000-2010
This is my top 15. Feel free to disagree and make your suggestions.
It is interesting to note how many of the women on the list are in power now. It is also interesting to note that before 1991 no woman had been a First Minister in Canada and almost no major cities had elected women yet.
There are five provinces that have not yet elected a woman as premier
- Ontario - Kathleen Wynne is premier but has not won an election
- Manitoba
- Saskatchewan
- Nova Scotia
- New Brunswick
Major cities that have not elected a woman as mayor
- Amalgalated Toronto
- Montreal
- Calgary
- Vancouver
- Hamilton
- Amalgamated Halifax
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