Women make up more than 50 per cent of Canada's population, but only 23 per cent of elected officials are women.
The Federation of Canadian Municipalities is trying to change that by hosting a series of workshops across the country to help women overcome the barriers to running for office. The workshop will be held at the Prince George Civic Centre this weekend.
"FCMs program will make a meaningful contribution to help us reach the United Nations target of having a minimum of 30 per cent female participation in government," Pam McConnell said.
McConnell is a Toronto city councillor and leads the Federation of Canadian Municipalities' committee on increasing female participation in government. Currently Canada ranks 46th out of 189 countries for female participation in government.
The workshops provide instruction, networking and mentorship from women already involved in the political process.
Currently only two of the nine seats on Prince George city council, approximately 22 per cent, are filled by women: councillors Shari Green and Debora Munoz. To meet the 30 per cent UN target, Prince George would need to elect three women in the municipal elections this November.
For more information about the workshop, go online to www.fcm.ca.
