Some strides for diversity in P.E.I. election, but still long way to go

Even though a record number of women were nominated as candidates in P.E.I.'s provincial election, only seven were elected Monday, which the executive director of Women's Network P.E.I. considers a "disappointing" result.

Jillian Kilfoil said it's good that Premier Dennis King's Progressive Conservatives will now have six women sitting as MLAs instead of two, which could mean more women in his cabinet, but it's not enough.

"Really, the PCs were at historic lows in terms of women's representation when they were first elected. And so they're really just getting up to what should be the bare minimum for any governing party," Kilfoil told Island Morning's Mitch Cormier on Tuesday.

She also pointed out that it isn't just women who have been under-represented.

"We need more women, we need more people of colour, we need more people who have experienced poverty, we need more people who rent their homes instead of own them," she said.

"So there's a lot of work to be done and I think overall the results last night were quite disappointing."

Gord McNeilly, one of three Liberals to win seats and the only racialized candidate who will be sitting in the legislature when it resumes, said he was proud of the number of Black, Indigenous and people of colour who ran.

"I know what they had to do to put their name forward, and it was tough on them," he said.

"They came from all kinds of different backgrounds and they did it. They stood up and they did a great job. So in my mind they're the real winners."

Dennis King knows I've been trying to be a positive influence in the legislature and pushing — but we're not where we need to be.— Gord McNeilly

McNeilly said he worked across party lines during the campaign to ensure candidates of colour felt supported, but he said more needs to come from the party in power.

"It's got to be movements that start and it's got to be some change within the PC Party too," he said.

"I think they can do a better job with diversity. Dennis King knows I've been trying to be a positive influence in the legislature and pushing — but we're not where we need to be."

Seeking out, supporting diverse candidates

The number of women in the legislature is unchanged from before the election, with 26 per cent of MLA positions filled by women, so how can P.E.I. get broader representation?

Kilfoil said political parties have to take the initiative.

"They really need to seek out and support diverse candidates when it comes to gender, but in a number of other social identities as well," she said.

She said there are still too many barriers to people from more diverse backgrounds getting involved politically.

"It still takes a lot of money to run a campaign and it takes a lot of risk to be able to leave your job, to be able to run a campaign that may lead to meaningful work or may not," she said.

"Political parties need to take the lead and they need to stay committed to those goals, even if sometimes it may mean electoral defeats here and there while you ensure that people are more inclusive and represented in your priorities."

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