The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
Hillary Clinton is no loser. ItÕs true she lost the Democratic presidential nomination to Barack Obama, but she has made many gains for women. Despite the sexism Hillary faced throughout her campaign, she showed us that women can play the politics game and expect a reasonable level of success. She lost, but the lesson is not that women are not welcome in the halls of power. On the contrary, her second place photo-finish demonstrates that female candidates will not have power handed to them for reasons other than their own ability. Unlike past also-rans, if Clinton left politics today she would not be forgotten. She has made her mark. Hers will be an example for future women in politics because of those she inspired along the way, even those of us in Canada. So far, our own track record of women in politics is dismal. Kim Campbell, our only female PM Ð for just over four months Ð was criticized for her poor campaigning skills, though pollsters argued that she was just as popular before the election as she was on election day. This suggests that it wasnÕt her leadership that was being evaluated, but rather Brian MulroneyÕs. Similarly, the leadership of the federal NDP, under Audrey McLaughlin and Alexa McDonough, never regained their electoral fortunes after the rise of unpopular NDP governments in BC and Ontario. Unfortunately, female federal leaders have a legacy of leading their parties into the electoral wilderness. ItÕs not shocking, then, that Hillary Clinton has become a role model for Canadian women. In a 2007 survey, nearly 75 per cent of Canadian women outside of Quebec identified Clinton as the woman running for the US presidency Ð slightly higher than those who could name Prime Minister Stephen Harper. The women who identified Hillary tended to be university educated, which tells us that women most likely to bump into glass ceilings took notice. But there are also signs that HillaryÕs competitiveness is connecting with all women Ð even those with lower levels of political interest. This is a clear signal that her efforts are asking us to question our complacency with male leadership. While these are positive developments, there is potentially a dark cloud: the sexism that Hillary faced could very well deter some women from the political spotlight. Ultimately though, she came, she fought, she almost conquered. But she sure did a number on that glass ceiling. This is an edited version of an editorial by Dr. Kari Roberts and Janine Marshall-Giles, Canada West Foundation.
