The recent election of Alison Redford as leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Alberta, and thus the premier of the province, was healthy progress for women in Canadian politics. Now Premier Redford has selected her cabinet and there the progress halts. Out of 21 members of cabinet, including Redford, there are only three women.
One cannot entirely blame Redford, however. She had little to choose from. Of all the provinces, Alberta has the second lowest proportion of women in its legislature. Of 67 Conservative MLAs, only 10 are women.
Redford as premier may represent healthy progress, but obviously Alberta has a long way to go to achieve a healthy mix of the feminine and the masculine in our political culture.
