As many celebrate International Women’s Day, advocates continue their efforts to increase the number of women elected to public office — especially ahead of municipal elections across Ontario later this year.
Operation Black Vote Canada, a national and multi-partisan non-profit supporting Black candidates running for elected office, was one of the organizations that honoured the contributions of women in politics.
“We believe representation matters,” Velma Morgan, the chair of Operation Black Vote Canada, said during a celebratory brunch at a downtown Toronto hotel.
“International Women’s Day reminds us that progress does not happen by accident. It happens because women organize, advocate, vote, lead and refuse to accept barriers.”
Related:
Representatives with the organization run a program called Seat at the Table, which consists of workshops and training opportunities for prospective Black female election candidates. Focus areas of the program include establishing campaigns, door-knocking and meeting residents, raising money, and communicating.
“Our lived experiences are drastically different from everybody else and we need to be able to contribute to public policy that’s going to affect us,” Morgan told CityNews.
When it comes to the most cited barriers to running, Morgan said she routinely hears about three aspects: Fundraising, building a network of contacts, and recruiting volunteers.
According to a 2023 report by the Canadian Municipal Barometer for the Federation of Canadian Municipalities, women represent 31 per cent of all elected municipal representatives across the country. Of the communities studied, 16 per cent had no women on municipal councils.
Amber Morley, who is one of Toronto’s deputy mayors and represents Ward 3 Etobicoke–Lakeshore, was a participant in the Seat at the Table program in 2021 before she beat a long-time incumbent in 2022. Morley came second after running in 2018.
Related:
“It’s an amazing opportunity as a young rookie who doesn’t have any immediate political ties to have a supportive community to work with and to be supported by,” Morley said, noting there were two major takeaways from the program.
“The value and importance of authenticity as well as community. We cannot do this work in isolation. We all need a community to mobilize and have our back.”
As of 2026, Morley is the only Black woman to sit on Toronto city council and the first to be named a deputy mayor for the city.
“We still have got a lot of work to do … and we’re continuing to change the conversation in terms of who gets to take up space and who gets to be at the table,” she said.
“It takes a huge amount of work when you don’t have a foundation of a dad who did the work before or an uncle or a grandpa who has kind of done this work as a political representative.”
Related:
Amid questions about the future of governing several Ontario school boards after the Ford government appointed a supervisor to oversee the Toronto District School Board (TDSB), Ward 9 (Davenport, Spadina–Fort York) trustee Alexis Dawson said she’s hoping to run for re-election.
“There’s been a legacy of under-representation when it comes to women and we really need to break through the barriers to get more women elected,” she told CityNews, adding her own background made the position a natural fit.
“My experience in the school system as a mom navigating it for my children has been absolutely beneficial and then you add the intersection of my being racialized certainly that brings an added layer of perspective to the decisions that I make on the school board.”
Another national organization supporting female candidates is Equal Voice. Interim executive director Lindsay Brumwell said the non-profit has multiple educational opportunities for all ages.
“One of the things we’ve heard is [women] don’t necessarily always know what the job entails, so we’re tackling that. We’ve done other initiatives and pop-up campaign schools where we talk about the day in the life of insert the level of government,” she said.
Related:
“We plant the seed early, and part of what Equal Voice does is … try and showcase what women and gender-diverse leaders across the country have done at all different levels of government to inspire that next generation, but then come in with the resources and tools and tactics so that they can be successful when they decide to run and compete.”
Another organization offering support for women is Elect Respect, an initiative started in Halton region that aims to elevate the political discourse and promote more civility in politics.
“My message to anyone wanting to run is it is the most wonderful work in the world because you can see yourself making your city better than you found it,” co-founder and Burlington Mayor Marianne Meed Ward recently told CityNews, noting toxicity on social media platforms can be a deterrent to seeking public office.
“We should demand better and expect better from our elected leaders. We should behave better, demand better from residents in our community, and so you’re not alone. You can speak up.”
Related:
Meanwhile, all of the advocates CityNews spoke with encouraged women interested in running in the upcoming Ontario municipal elections or for positions at other layers of government to begin the journey as soon as possible.
“[Go to] a school parent council meeting, go to BIA meetings, get involved within your community because people need to know who you are,” Morgan said.
“Just go for it. Whether you win or lose, you’ve done the work, you’ve put in the time and you’ve got your name out there. There’s no reason why you can’t try again if you’re not successful in this election,” Dawson added while drawing on her own experience.
“Knocking on doors, pounding the pavement, speaking to constituents, hearing their issues, and it’s really important to have those conversations because it makes you a better trustee, makes you better at your job.”