Ask Her seeks to increase gender equity in municipal politics

Ask Her is a non-profit organization that promotes equitable representation in municipal politics. The initiative aims to support the development of women’s leadership skills and confidence in political engagement.

“Our city’s leadership should look like the city’s population,” Harnoor Kochar, director of programming and University of Alberta alumna, said. “It takes a lot more asking of women to get them to run for public office. That’s where our name comes from.”

Founded in Calgary and recently expanded to Edmonton, the initiative supports potential candidates primarily through its flagship program Prepare Her.

“I saw that there was a gap in Edmonton. There was no training school of sorts,” Kochar said.

The program targets women and gender diverse individuals, providing them “the skills and connections they need to run successful municipal campaigns.”

Participants of the Prepare Her program are two times more likely to run successful campaigns, according to Kochar.

Edmonton’s Prepare Her cohort currently has around 10 participants, some planning to run in the upcoming municipal election. Prepare Her is recruiting more campaign experts and practitioners to add to the program, Kochar said.

“You don’t have to be running in the next election to be part of this program. This program is a good fit for anybody who is thinking about running in the near future. It’s meant to give you the skills, tools, and networks you need even if you’re just thinking about it.”

“The progress made in Edmonton cannot be taken for granted,” Kochar says

Ask Her is concerned with not only achieving, but sustaining equitable representation in municipal government as “representation can slide back quite quickly,” Kochar said.

Currently, women represent eight out of 12 wards on Edmonton’s city council. Although representation is currently high, Kochar thinks this may not always be the case.

“The progress made in Edmonton cannot be taken for granted,” she said.

According to Kochar, barriers to equitable political presentation range from a lack of access to childcare to “inequitable harms that exist in the digital space.”

Ask Her is aiming to make politics more accessible by fostering a supportive community of individuals “committed to making sure that women are running to represent our city,” she said.

“The volunteers are all so committed and dedicated to this cause and to that the program is running its best. It’s really inspiring.”

The initiative is also planning to begin recruiting from smaller cities and towns.

“One of our continuing goals is to make sure we have good representation from gender diverse folks as well as Indigenous and racialized communities,” she added.

Moving forward, Ask Her plans to expand its Prepare Her cohorts in Edmonton and Calgary. “We want to continue to cement our program here in Edmonton. It’ll take some time, but we’re hoping to really cement our presence here too.”