Setbacks but signs of progress: How gender parity fared in Canada’s federal election

A month ago, 103 women were elected to the House of Commons, representing one-third of MPs, a slight decrease since 2021 (-0.9%).

But the number of women elected under the banner of the ruling Liberal Party increased by five per cent, representing 40 per cent of Liberal seats.

Following a turbulent election campaign, women’s representation in the Canadian Parliament reflects a certain stability, but not positive progress toward parity.

There were fewer female candidates than in the last election. Furthermore, in terms of the representation of women, there are significant differences between parties and regions across the country.

These figures reflect the same dynamics my colleagues and I have been observing for the last two decades. As an assistant professor at the Université Sainte-Anne, I work on the issue of women’s political participation with various international organizations in more than 60 countries. This experience allows me to view Canadian data within the global context, where progress is often fragile and unevenly distributed.

A six-point drop in one election cycle

The Canadian federal election took place in a toxic atmosphere marked by oppressive American politics. The issue of gender, which is at the heart of much of U.S. President Donald Trump’s agenda, was marginal during the campaign.

According to my calculations and those of the Library of Parliament, in 2025, women and non-binary people accounted for only 32 per cent of candidates, compared to 38 per cent in 2021 — a drop of six percentage points in just one election cycle. That is bad news, according to observers.

Three of the main parties saw a significant drop in the number of women candidates (minus eight per cent for the Liberals, minus 11 per cent for the Conservatives minus eight per cent for the Bloc Québécois).

Despite this, the major parties combined had 36 per cent female candidates, compared to 23 per cent for the smaller parties. Women accounted for 15 per cent of candidates not affiliated with a political party, and 29 per cent of candidates in the protest vote in Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre’s Carleton riding.

What’s at play?

The overall decline in results can be explained by three factors.

First, the Conservatives nominated proportionally fewer female candidates (22 per cent), which led to an inevitable result: the lowest proportion of women elected by a federal party (18 per cent of Conservative MPs).

Second, progressive parties such as the NDP and the Greens suffered significant losses as voters turned to the Liberals, who were seen as more capable of countering Trump.

Finally, the Bloc Québécois fielded more women candidates than any other major party (40 per cent), with the exception of the NDP, but elected only 18 per cent women overall (or four of the 23 MPs elected). This represents a 16.6 per cent decrease from 2021.

How to explain how the Liberals elected a higher proportion of women, while women who ran for the Bloc Québécois made few inroads? It’s due to several factors: first, the Liberals ran more women candidates who already held seats or were running in ridings where the party was already in power. Almost half of Liberal female candidates had this advantage compared to one third of Bloc candidates.

These women also performed better: 91 per cent of Liberal women with this advantage won, compared to only 36 per cent for the Bloc. Second, although the percentage of women candidates remained high, they often found themselves in ridings where victory was less likely. Sixty-five per cent of Bloc candidates ran as challengers in ridings not held by the Bloc. None of them won.

The major parties nominated the highest proportion of female candidates in Ontario (41 per cent), Prince Edward Island (38 per cent), Nova Scotia (37 per cent), and Québec (37 per cent), and the fewest in New Brunswick (25 per cent), Alberta (31 per cent) and British Columbia (32 per cent).

Two Maritime provinces suffered significant setbacks.

New Brunswick sent nine out of 10 men to Ottawa. P.E.I. still holds the sad distinction of being the only province with an all-male delegation in the House of Commons, despite a relatively high proportion of female candidates. That means it has been more than a decade since a woman from the province was sent to Ottawa.

A commitment to gender equality

So should Canadians be concerned about the stagnation in progress toward parity in the April elections? I don’t think so.

The anti-Trump vote that marked this historic election was a clear rejection of the #MAGA agenda in all its forms — including its violent misogyny, homophobia and transphobia. By affirming its national identity in contrast to these values, Canada is strengthening its commitment to human rights.

Canada in fact is now well-positioned to strengthen its global leadership in defending human rights at a time when the United States is disengaging.

Canada has a strong foundation to take a leadership role in this area. It recently committed to the Beijing+30 Action Plan, an initiative marking the 30th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, adopted by 189 countries in 1995 to advance women’s rights in key areas such as power and decision-making.

In the same spirit, the country launched its third National Action Plan for Women, Peace and Security, covering the period 2023–2029, which aims to strengthen women’s participation in peace and governance processes, both at home and abroad. Canada thus reaffirms its commitment to gender equality, both nationally and internationally.

That said, significant challenges remain. Canada only slightly exceeds the global average for female representation (27.2 per cent) and remains below the global rate of progress. Since 2000, women’s representation in the Canadian Parliament has declined a number of times, illustrating uneven progress. Disparities among parties and regions remain a concern. Finally, at the current rate, it would take more than two centuries to achieve parity — a blatant absurdity.

Commitment to gender political equality remains strong in Canada, although progress is slow and fragile. Canada must honour, uphold and defend this commitment amid global uncertainty.

Matéo Schmitt contributed to this article as a co-author. A French student at the Université Sainte-Anne, his research focuses on inclusion in education and gender equality.

This article is republished from The Conversation, a nonprofit, independent news organization bringing you facts and trustworthy analysis to help you make sense of our complex world. It was written by: Gabrielle Bardall, Université Sainte-Anne

Gabrielle Bardall received an internal grant in humanities from the Université Sainte-Anne, supported by an institutional grant from the SSHRC.