The Minister of Status of Women Canada will speak in Sudbury this morning as part of a city-led project to encourage women to run for office.
Community members are invited to hear Patty Hajdu deliver a keynote address 9:30 a.m. in the Tom Davies Square foyer as part of Women in Government Day.
The Women in Government Day event, which lasts until 3:30 p.m., also includes a panel discussion on the importance of women in government featuring local currently-elected officials and a series of workshops.
The day is designed to serve as both a learning and networking opportunity for the participants and one that the city hopes will encourage them to make the leap into running for office.
Women represent 52 per cent of the world's population, and yet only two out of 10 candidates for political office are women, said information on the city's website. Despite winning the right to vote nearly 100 years ago, women are still underrepresented in political leadership roles at all levels of government.
This is evident in our own community where women are leaders in a number of sectors, including business, health care and education, but only four out of 13 members of council are women, and in the 2014 municipal election, only eight out of 78 candidates for council were women.
The City of Greater Sudbury will live broadcast Hajdu's address on the city's Facebook page.
For more information about the workshops, visit the city's web page.
