On Sunday morning I learned that the Quebec Solidaire delegates present at the party conference this weekend had approved a proposal to exclude men in the event of a by-election. Only women and non-binary people could run in order to strive for parity within the group.
In an article by my Journal colleague Marc-André Gagnon, we read the words of a young activist from Québec Solidaire.
Maïka Sondarjee, who lives in Hull, said on the microphone: “We will not destroy the patriarchy with suggestions.”
I completely agree with her. We have to take action.
Don’t let time do things
As I read the dozens of comments under the article mentioned above, I quickly realized that many people, especially men, weren’t particularly keen on this suggestion.
Some talk about discrimination, others about sexism.
I understand that the proposal that the Quebec Solidaire delegates voted for may be shocking, but I believe that it is when we shake up the status quo that we really make progress.
I can no longer bear to let time take its course when it comes to taking concrete action towards true equality between those in power.
Do you find parity scary?
I find it strange that some men feel threatened by suggestions like this.
Resisting measures that move our society toward equality between men and women does not mean being a feminist.
It is high time to quickly restore this power inequality through strong action.
Because women are always underrepresented in positions of power, they have already lost a lot.
Now we must waste no more time in closing this gap as quickly as possible.
