Dear Editor
Re: Burnaby MP takes aim at gender parity, Burnaby NOW,March 4.
According to writer Jennifer Moreau, Mr. Stewart has tabled a new act in the House of Commons that would penalize parties that don’t have enough female candidates.
NDP leader Kennedy Stewart, in my opinion, is a great political leader and MP. He is a smart individual with great ideas/visions for the well-being of the people. However, with that said, I believe Mr. Stewart, with his view on gender parity in representing political parties in the House of Commons, is taking that whole issue one step too far .
Let us, for a moment, put aside our liberty of freedom of choice. For Mr. Stewart to, allegedly, suggest that a political party, when appointing, hiring, whatever the case may be, candidates to represent the party’s constituency in the House of Commons, at least 45 per cent of said candidates be of a specific gender, I believe it to be an inept move on his part .
No political party or, for that matter, any other organization, in my opinion, should be put into a position where, to avoid being penalized in some form or other, would be legally obligated to ensure that when appointing/hiring candidates, for any positions, a distinctive gender, whichever it maybe, must reach a designated percentage of that rank.
I don’t believe we should be bound to any percentage of any gender when appointing/hiring for whatever the position. Maybe, rather, the most qualified PERSON for the job/position in question should be the person hired.
Frank Di Cesare, Burnaby
