Although the BC NDP and BC Conservatives ran campaigns often as divisive and polarized as the Trump/Harris U.S. presidential contest, the two parties combined to achieve at least one positive outcome: electing a legislature where women now hold over half the seats. In yet another series of Canadian firsts, the BC NDP government caucus is expected to have a super majority of 64 percent women MLAs, and the BC Conservative caucus is 41 percent women - an all time high for a right-of-centre party. Both parties should be recognized for these breakthroughs.

 Women’s legislative seat gains in B.C. are no fluke. They are the result of the BC NDP's commitment to its Equity Mandate. Adopted nearly two decades ago, these rules require replacing retiring BC NDP men MLAs with women candidates or those from other equity-deserving groups. After intense debates at its 2007 party convention, the BC NDP first recruited candidates under the Equity Mandate in the 2009 election—immediately increasing the overall number of women BC NDP MLAs from 7 of 33 (21%) in the 2005 provincial election to 12 of 35 (34%) in 2009. Though the BC NDP remains the only party in Canada to use internal quotas, the results of the BC NDP’s Equity Mandate pressured competing parties to field more women candidates, with many in winnable seats.

However, this gender shift is precarious as the BC NDP’s Equity Mandate is party-specific. Women’s overall representation could drop significantly if the BC NDP loses seats in the next election. One way to cement gender-balance over the long term is to enact similar quotas for all political parties. Once controversial, sex quotas of various kinds are used in over 100 countries which recent polling shows most Canadians support.

To maintain parity, the new B.C. government could introduce legislation that solidifies these gains for women. For example, they could implement former NDP MP Kennedy Stewart’s Bill C-237, An Act to amend the Canada Elections Act (gender equity), which sought to use election rebates to incentivize federal political parties to put forward gender-balanced candidate slates. They could also consider Senator Donna Dasko’s Bill S-283, An Act to amend the Canada Elections Act (demographic information), requiring registered parties to make diversity-related information available to the public to increase transparency.

The benefits of increasing the number of women in political office extend beyond symbolism. While not all women MLAs will necessarily advance feminist values or prioritize gender- and diversity-sensitive parliaments, research consistently demonstrates increased women’s presence positively influences governance, encourages more diverse policy debates, and often leads to improved legislative outcomes. Corporate boards have recently acknowledged gender equity is not merely a matter of fairness but also a driver of better business performance.

Increased women’s representation strengthens democratic institutions. Governments everywhere should take note of how the B.C. legislature reached this women-majority milestone and British Columbia needs to take steps to makes sure it stays there.

Jeanette Ashe holds a PhD from Birkbeck, University of London, teaches politics at Douglas College, and is visiting faculty at the Global Institute for Women’s Leadership, King’s College. Her research focuses on political recruitment and gender- and diversity-sensitive parliaments. Find her on social media @jeanetteashe.