About One Woman One Vote
1W1V In The News
One
Woman One Vote Launch -
January
2001
YWCA wants to get women out voting
Women can make their voices heard on issues that directly affect
them Tom Barrett - January
2001
Journal Staff Writer
EDMONTON
Get involved, learn the
issues, ask relevant questions and vote.
That was the message for
Alberta women from a panel of speakers at Wednesday's kickoff of
the YWCA's "One Woman, One Vote" campaign.
Liberal leader Nancy MacBeth,
New Democrat Leader Raj Pannu and Alberta Aboriginal Affairs Minister
Pearl Calahasen all encouraged women to take more active roles in
public life. Especially with a provincial election just around the
corner.
"Ladies, we need to go
out and vote," said Calahasen, there to represent the government.
"If we don't vote, we can't make a difference. We need to get involved
in campaigns. We need to support the people we believe in."
MacBeth and Pannu echoed those thoughts.
"We don't use the power that we have,"
MacBeth said. "In 83 different constituencies people are going to
be choosing someone to represent them and we need to become involved."
Pannu emphasized the importance
of all voters going to the polls but suggested women have some pressing
political concerns to address.
"In the past 20 years,
women in particular have borne the burnt of cuts to our social programs,"
he said.
Kelly Sloan, executive
director of the Edmonton YWCA, said she organized the press conference
in the hope of spurring the interest of women on the eve of the
campaign. "We want to light people's passions for being involved
in the political process," she said.
Sloan said research shows
that more women (about 55 per cent) than men (approximately 52 per
cent) vote.
Women must become more interested
in politics generally, she said."We believe if women discuss issues
more they will become more involved in the political process," she
said.
Sloan handed out a pamphlet with a list of
women's issues, and questions dealing with issues such as health
care, poverty, housing, domestic violence, and child care.
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