'Not a great day for women in politics,' Alberta premier says
'To see the way that women are targeted in politics, it's exactly what keeps women out of politics'
Between the outcome of the U.S. election and the abrupt withdrawal of two female candidates from the Progressive Conservative leadership race in Alberta, women in politics have taken a step backward, Premier Rachel Notley says.
"Yesterday was not a great day for women in politics in Alberta," Notley said Wednesday.
"There was much hope that we would have seen a female president of the United States for the first time. I think a lot of people were surprised that we didn't. So that's a bit of a step back, because we thought we're on our way there."
The withdrawal of Donna Kennedy-Glans and MLA Sandra Jansen from the Tory leadership race within moments of each other on Tuesday was also a blow, she said.
"It's unfortunate," Notley said.
Kennedy-Glans, a former MLA and cabinet minister, said there was no room for a centrist voice like hers in the leadership race while Jansen blamed a series of online insults and smear campaigns.
Notley said it's up to the Tories to set things right by getting to the bottom of what happened.
"One of the explanations for them dropping out is deeply troubling," Notley said.
"If a party or a campaign cannot conduct itself in a way to ensure the most basic rules around inclusivity — for instance anti-harassment — then quite frankly, that party or that campaign is not equipped to govern the province."
Alberta PC party president Katherine O'Neill said the party is taking the allegations "very seriously" and is investigating.
In a statement posted Wednesday, leadership candidate Jason Kenney said he condemned "any disrespectful comments."
"Neither I, nor any member of our campaign staff, has engaged in personal attacks against other candidates, or for that matter, the premier and members of government," he wrote.
Alberta Party Leader Greg Clark said as a politician he is often the target of online cruelty, but nowhere near what women face every day.
"That bulls**t has got to end," he said. "It really makes me angry. To see the way that women are targeted in politics, it's exactly what keeps women out of politics."