TORONTO -- A new women-led advisory committee in Halifax aims to bring a female perspective to policymaking and give women a voice within a municipal government that’s largely dominated by men.
Halifax Regional Council approved the women’s advisory committee Tuesday, a motion put forward by Cole Harbour councillor Lorelei Nicoll, one of only two female councillors serving in council.
“I think women are more generally more comfortable in the room when they see themselves reflected back,” Nicoll said during an interview with CTV’s Your Morning Thursday.
“I’ve served on many committees of council, and I’ve noticed when I look around the room I’m typically the only one, or a handful of women, when the rest is men. It’s a perspective that could allow women to not want to speak up because the conversation is dominated mostly by the men in the room.”
The committee will advise Halifax’s executive standing committee on gender-based issues related to municipal policies, promote leadership development and empower women to participate in civic life, and provide research resources on women’s issues.
Nicoll says the committee will have a large focus on public safety policy, referencing how many women feel unsafe when travelling alone in public.
The decision to create the advisory committee stems from a report by the Federation of Canadian Municipalities, which found that only 26 per cent of the seats in the House of Commons, provincial and municipal governments were filled by women.
Edmonton and Montreal have created similar initiatives.
Nicoll says the committee will be formed in January and will include women from diverse backgrounds, including women, women of colour, non-binary people.
“It was important for me that it would be a committee of council so it’s embedded in the politics from here on in,” she said.
“It’s not about just having a committee for now, it’s about having one into the future long after I’m gone from this role.”
