Tomorrow is International Women’s Day and as we mark the day during 2025, it’s also noteworthy that this year involves three sets of elections.

We’ll be heading to the polls at the municipal, provincial, and federal levels. And we have leadership races happening for the federal and provincial Liberal parties.

Equal Voice, a group that encourages the participation of women in leadership roles, says these are interesting times with opportunity for change in our the province.

Chair Kate Cadigan says financial barriers are significant for women who are considering running for a leadership position in politics. She would like to see systemic change so that women don’t face greater obstacles than a male who is running for the same position.

She says women and gender-diverse individuals have different access to networks not only for support financially but also for campaigning and getting the word out.

“Those systemic barriers can certainly limit folks from putting their name forward so it can be intimidating when you don’t have the same resources as your male counterpart,” says Cadigan.