January.22.2018

Leadership Candidates on Gender Equity – Saskatchewan Party

On January 15, 2018, BPW Saskatoon asked each Saskatchewan Party leadership candidate to respond to the following questions:

QUESTION 1

Gender Equity in leadership positions is still a far cry from where it needs to be. According to a comprehensive literature review by Corinne Post and Kris Byron, management professors at Lehigh and Syracuse universities, covered in Fast Company in January 2015. The professors reviewed an exhaustive 140 studies that covered 90,000 firms from 35 countries between 1989 and 2014. The bottom line, as Fast Company’s Lindsay Lavine put it: “Overall, when women are on boards, companies are more profitable.” Study author Post told Lavine that women directors bring their diverse perspectives to the boardroom, and that they’re “more inclusive in their communications and interactions with others.”

What are you prepared to do to support increasing gender balance in leadership positions in general and on boards in particular?

QUESTION 2

According to Catalyst Canada, a nonprofit organization that focuses on expanding opportunities for women and business, Canadian women earn $0.82 to every $1 earned by men. That’s marginally better than the U.S.’s $0.78 for every $1, but sets the gap in Canada at 18 per cent — much higher than in other countries, specifically in Europe.

“The global pay gap was about $4,000 on average between men and women, and the Canadian pay gap was just over $8,000,” Alex Johnston, executive director of Catalyst Canada, told the Globe and Mail.

What will you do to address the gender pay gap?

QUESTION 3

Polling shows that women care about different issues. The United Nations says that a critical mass of at least 30% women is needed before legislatures produce public policy representing women’s concerns and before political institutions begin to change the way they do business.

What will you do to increase women’s representation in politics?

As of January 19, 2018 BPW Saskatoon has received responses from two Saskatchewan Party candidates: Ken Cheveldayoff and Gord Wyant. We will be sending the same questions to NDP leadership candidates ahead of their leadership election.

Received from Ken Cheveldayoff on January 18, 2018:

Question 1.

What are you prepared to do to support increasing gender balance in leadership positions in general and on boards in particular?
As a team, we would seek out capable, competent women who would be prepared to serve on government & crown boards.

Question 2.

What will you do to address the gender pay gap?

Within The Saskatchewan Employment Act, there is a non-discriminatory clause that covers gender equality.

Question 3.

What will you do to increase women’s representation in politics?

It will be important to work closely with CWP (Commonwealth Women Parliamentarians) whose mandate is to encourage more women to seek public office.

Received from Gord Wyant January 19, 2018:

Business and Professional Women of Saskatoon questions

What are you prepared to do to support increasing gender balance in leadership positions in general and on boards in particular?
There is no doubt that the talents, backgrounds, and perspectives of women are as varied as those of men, and that listening to a multitude of voices is how we grow, how we learn, and how we do better – as a government and as a society. That is why, as Premier, I would be committed to increasing the number of women who serve as directors on our various crown corporation and government agency boards. There may be an additional role for the Office of the Status of Women in providing recommendations on ways increase the number of women in leadership positions within government. I would also look at how we can harness expertise within our post-secondary institutions. The Edwards School of Business, which offers training on board governance and management, including a specific program on ‘Empowering Women Leaders’, could offer recommendations on concrete steps towards increasing the number of female voices we have in leadership positions. I am also fully prepared to have on on-going dialogue with advocacy groups such as the Business and Professional Women of Saskatoon and the Saskatchewan Chapter of Equal Voice to seek advice and suggestions on this topic.

What will you do to address the gender pay gap?

Over the course of this leadership campaign, I have had an opportunity to meet with Women Entrepreneurs Saskatchewan (WESK). They have issued a call to action to address issues facing women and the economy. Their call to action makes two proposals; first they call for the creation of an Advisory Council to examine the economic gender gap in Saskatchewan; secondly, they propose the development of a strategy for women in business which would address the challenges and barriers for women starting their own businesses or for those active in the workforce and focus on investing in strategic initiatives which would support women. I support both of these proposals and believe that they will be key to developing targeted supports for women in the workplace and working towards genuine pay equity.

What will you do to increase women’s representation in politics?

One of the guiding principles of the Saskatchewan Party is: ‘Individual freedom and the equality of opportunity for all citizens’. Honouring this ‘equality of opportunity’ means that the Party’s new leader must work to ensure our public institutions, and specifically our political arena, are welcoming to everyone and are truly representative of the people we serve. In the Saskatchewan Legislature, about 26 per cent of the seats are occupied by women (incidentally, it is about the same in the House of Commons in Ottawa where 26 per cent of Members of Parliament are women). I believe that number needs to be higher. We need to begin at the grassroots level of our party and work to increase the number of women participating on our local constituency associations. As leader, I would work with our Party’s board and caucus to actively encourage women to participate in nomination races. I also firmly believe that it is not just in elected roles where we need more women participating; having women in senior staff roles, as policy and political advisors is something that we have to encourage more of as well. During my time as Minister of Justice and Attorney General, I had 4 different women serve as my Chief of Staff, and I was a better Minister because of it.