Today marks the final day of Election Season at the Women’s Centre, (Election Day)!
Throughout the month of May, we interacted with hundreds of women and learned about their top election issues, shared how and where to vote, discussed party platforms, watched the debate, engaged our youth in the importance of voting, partnered with Elections Alberta and CIWA to host information sessions, equipped the city with door-knocking conversation starters, and even walked together to cast our ballots during advanced voting week (with a cheeky ice cream treat from Village Ice Cream to top it off)! It is little-known that the majority of these initiatives were planned by a dedicated volunteer Election Committee; to them we extend our heartfelt gratitude for their many months of work.
As many reading this blog will be heading to the polls today, we thought we’d share the issues that our community identified as the most important to them during this provincial election. Sixty-nine women and folks were surveyed at community events and at our Centre in April and May; and health care, houselessness and affordable housing, mental health & addictions, education, and poverty ranked the top five issues. As such, we have assembled a brief overview of the party platform commitments on each of these issues (this document can be read at the link below).
This platform summary was available to all Women’s Centre guests during the month of May, and we know was well-thumbed as women gathered for workshops, were waiting for peer-support, or were just chatting over a cup of coffee. Despite a relatively polarizing campaign period, we were humbled by the genuine, earnest, and empathetic conversations that took place in our Centre – often between folks with very different perspective on key issues and political parties. We will always be a safe place for difficult conversations and finding common understandings.
Tonight, we will likely learn who our next provincial government will be, and regardless of outcome, the Women’s Centre will be celebrating our community who showed up, learned, got engaged, got others engaged, and got out to vote!
Happy Voting Day from the Women’s Centre team!