Our fearless leader Christy Clark has been touring the province of late to chat with her girlfriends.
That sentence was intended to be condescending, to fit it with the very idea of a womens-only event.
One of these womens-only events took place in Prince George yesterday, with Honourable Shirley Bond. Clark is attempting to rally the female vote because her support amongst female voters has tanked.
According to the latest poll, only 21 per cent of female voters would vote for the BC Liberals, compared to the 51 per cent of females that would give their vote to the NDP. The numbers don't lie, and Clark knows it's time to scramble.
The issue is not only, are these girl-power lunches patronizing to men, but they also set women back to the 1950s, when women were afraid to speak up and would have dinner and a dirty martini waiting for their husbands the instant he came home.
We as women are better than this.
What is even more ridiculous is that Clark was a fierce critic of the NDP's gender equality quota system, where some ridings have been designated for women-only candidates in the next election. She called the policy gender discrimination that's insulting to men and
patronizing to women.
Hello, Premier Clark? Are you supposed to be the pot or the kettle?
Apparently, the premier hasn't considered that her flip-flopping on issues is the reason that us gals aren't so keen to put an X next to her name.
In the August women-only luncheon in Delta, she boasted that they had gotten rid of all the male servers as well for the event.
Isn't that sweet?
Clark made the point that the conversation is different when it's just women filling the room. It is a good point, but not enough of one to push the boys out.
Women's issues like equality in pay, women's rights or the right to choose - all of those things affect men. They affect husbands, boyfriends, fathers and sons, so why not let them in on the conversation?
Instead Clark has made these luncheons akin to an Ivy league secret society where to gain entrance you have to have a uterus and breasts.
The easy retort would be to point out that an inverse situation would never be acceptable. If Pat Bell or Bob Zimmer were to hold a men's only event and then bragged about sending the waitresses home, gender equality enthusiasts would be on the front lines.
When Clark says that the conversations happen differently when it's just women, perhaps she should take it a step further and have a slumber party, complete with manis/pedis and frilly negligees, because you know how girls get.
The implication that female attendees would trip over their words if any measure of testosterone was in the air is an insult. That men can somehow poison the well so much so that a politically-conscious woman would suddenly become a mess of hiccups and confusions, is both ridiculous and insulting to both genders.
If Clark does in fact want to strive for gender equality, then she should be holding another series of chats before the elections, but have them be boys only. She could sit on the other side of the door, while the men discuss manly things and have a man explain to her what was discussed in small and uncomplicated words.
Also premier Clark, if you are old enough to vote then you are no longer a girl. That's just further patronizing women into feeling that they aren't as wise or knowledgeable as men.
Perhaps our premier, instead of eating cucumber sandwiches without any crusts while sipping umbrella drinks could address the big ticket items that directly affect women other than of course, discussions on hot flashes, hair removal alternatives or the best tampons on the market.
How about holding a forum to talk about the important issues: Education, because women are more likely to make it a voting issue and Clark's record is poor. As education minister, she oversaw the introduction of a law, that was later deemed unconstitutional, that ripped up teachers' contracts. This legislation allowed for larger student groupings and stuffed more special-needs kids inot regular classrooms. Clark has been extremely friendly to federal conservatives, including the prime minister, who is loathed by many female voters. The HST is another one that could use some help. Women often make household purchasing decisions, and many of them were furious about the B.C. Liberal's decision to introduce the tax without any consultation and Clark's support of the tax didn't help matters.
Until any of that happens, girls should go out and buy some new pillows, because it's going to be a hell of a fight.
-- Associate news editor Ashley MacDonald
