Politics and motherhood do not mix. The announcement of the departure of star MP Marwah Rizqy sadly reminds us of this.
Her departure saddens all those who saw her take control of the Liberal Party of Quebec, which is in dire need of renewal. But we must respect the choice of the mother of two young children who can no longer bear being separated in two. Even when you have the potential to rise to the highest level, it is perfectly legitimate to take a break to be with your little ones.
If Marwah Rizqy is a model in the National Assembly – hard worker, always well prepared, formidable and tenacious – she is also a model in the way she bows out. Her choice was made responsibly, because she will assume her mandate until the end, in two years, thus avoiding a complementary election.
However, her departure should be an opportunity to reflect on the place of women in politics.
No, everything was not resolved the day we reached parity. It was Prime Minister Jean Charest who got the ball rolling in 2007 by forming the first joint Council of Ministers in the entire country. When he took power, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau did the same “because it’s 2015,” he naturally explained.
But the place of women in politics is not “all natural”. And mathematical parity doesn’t tell the whole story.
Many elected officials have a shock when they arrive at the National Assembly, demonstrates journalist Jocelyne Richer, who surveyed dozens of elected and former elected officials as part of her recent, very well-documented work, entitled The sex of power.
Women do not identify with partisan politics based on confrontation, as we see during question period, where the goal is to knock out the opponent. To be appreciated, women often put on boxing gloves, even if it is not in their nature.
For example, former PQ MP and mayor of Longueuil Catherine Fournier confides that certain interventions she made did not really correspond to her style. But when a woman succeeds in “crashing the government”, everyone says “Bravo”.
Except that a woman can’t adopt a tone that’s too manly either. If she’s too aggressive, she gets called hysterical. In short, the room for maneuver is slim. And many women leave politics, often after just one term.
In the last provincial elections, two-thirds of the deputies who did not run were women (23 out of 35). Women therefore represented two thirds of the departures, even if they only made up 44% of the 125 deputies.
Clearly, there is something wrong.
The National Assembly should recognize that there is unease. Political parties should explore the issue to change morals.
It is fundamental that women feel at home in parliament. Let them make their voices heard at a time when women’s rights are crumbling all over the world. And Quebec is not immune.
We can very well do more to promote work-politics balance, THE main factor that pushes young mothers out of politics.
How come MPs are not eligible for the Quebec Parental Insurance Plan? However, all Quebecers are entitled to it, including municipal elected officials. The worst part is that until 2022, MPs who were absent a few months after the birth of their child risked being reprimanded by the Ethics Commissioner. Fortunately, the code of ethics has been revised. But the guilt of those who are absent after giving birth remains.
Furthermore, why not allow remote voting? The federal government has retained the hybrid mode invented during the pandemic. This allows MPs to sit and vote remotely, a measure that facilitates work-family balance, especially for MPs whose constituency is far from the national capital.
And then, how long will we have to wait before having a real daycare at the National Assembly? After years of demands, we are still at the pilot project stage for the daycare, nicely named “The Council of Little Treasures”.
Oh yes, and why not modernize parliamentary rules? With a little less unnecessary “sparing”, we would gain in efficiency, without harming democracy. MPs would have more time to devote to the citizens of their riding and their families.
Even if the role of MP will always remain very demanding, here are concrete changes that could encourage women who have young children to enter – and stay – in politics.
The idea is not to create a double standard. The changes should apply to everyone, both men and women. The entire rising generation will be able to take ownership of the change in culture and bring politics to life differently.