In North America we have two federal elections coming up this fall, which has prompted me to think about how important it is for women to get out to the polls and exercise our right to vote, aside of course from the obvious civic duty.

In Canada our early pioneering women fought long and hard to acquire equal voting rights for all women. Dr. Emily Stowe started the campaign in Manitoba and after four decades earned the right for Manitoba’s women to head to the polls. It took another twenty-four years before women across Canada had the right to vote in both federal and provincial elections.

Fuelled with relentless determination and the inspiration of the British activists and American suffragettes, the Canadian campaign became known as the Suffragist movement and included public debates, petitions, lectures and demonstrations. These women overcame many obstacles to overturn public opinion and hostile politicians. On May 24, 1918, the Canada Elections Act allowed all Canadian women 21 years and over to vote in federal elections. On December 6, 1921, four women ran as candidates and one was elected: Miss Agnes Campbell MacPhail became the first woman to sit in the House of Commons.

Fast forward to 2006. In the 2006 election 380 women ran as candidates for various parties, with a total of 64 elected to the House of Commons. The percentage of women running for office in this election is slightly higher than last time, with several candidates still to be nominated.

Even with this increase it is unlikely that we will reach the critical mass of at least 30% women that the United Nations says is needed before legislatures produce public policy representing women’s concerns and before political institutions begin to change the way they do business.

According to statistics found on the web, four million eligible women failed to exercise their right to vote in 2006. In fact, only 64.9% of all eligible voters marked their X.

I remember hearing this very powerful message a year ago and went back to the author to ask permission to use this message in my blog post. Here is the what Francesca Dobbyn, Executive Director of the United Way of Bruce Grey had to say:

“If women voted as a group, on what mattered to women in general, and dominated the election with 52% of the population, our world would be very different.

We would have 24 hour day care, because a woman who can work, contributes to the economic growth of the economy.  When women are unable to work, they become recipients of government assistance, a burden greater than the cost and contribution of child care, should they be able to work.

We would have equal pay for equal work, without guilt and blame, because business would recognize by investing in adequate compensation, women would contribute back to the economy with more taxes, more spending capacity and the ability to ride a crisis without relying on government assistance.

Pay Equity wouldn't be a budget line utilized by government to blame women for tax increases.

We wouldn't build shelters for women who were abused, we'd build residences for men who abuse. Women and their families could then stay in their homes, keep their jobs and avoid homelessness and the utter disruption to the children.

We would look at root causes of social issues, rather than band-aid solutions that produce nothing more than photo-ops.

Golf would be a recreational sport for friends, not a forum for deals, meetings and strategic planning.

If women used their collective voice, the health care system and pharmacy business would take seriously women's health, rather than assuming women's bodies respond the same as men's.”

Equal Voice,a group of women and men deeply concerned about Canadian politics have formed a multi-partisan, non-profit organization devoted to more women being elected to every level of government in Canada. They are taking the message for women to vote one step further with the campaign “Take Our Girls to Vote”.

Take Our Girls to Vote is a coalition of organizations including Equal Voice, Girl Guides of Canada, Student Vote, TakingITGlobal, and YWCA is asking voters and politicians to make a pledge to bring a girl to the polls on election day. The idea is to engage young Canadian girls to take part in the democratic and political process that shapes our country. You can click on this link http://www.equalvoice.ca/pledge.cfm, to fill out the form and commit your support.

Whether you decide to vote out of obligation to Dr. Emily Stowe and her determined team for their many decades of hard work to gain your right to vote, or because you like the sound of the world where all women voted, or if you decide to exercise your right while introducing a young women to the democratic and political process, get out on Tuesday, October 14th and mark your X. It will only take a few minutes out of your busy schedule. Then sit back and dare to dream what the country might look like with more female friendly policies and more female politicians on Parliament Hill.