Saskatchewan New Democratic Women (SNDW) was established to promote the involvement of women in all levels of political activity, up to and including elected office. We hold educational events, develop policy on matters of particular concern to women, and conduct fundraising to support women running for public office, both while they are seeking the nomination and during the election.
The New Democratic Party has a proud history of promoting the involvement of women in the political process, and tackling issues of importance to women. Our party understands that our economy, our society and our political institutions function best when we are able to draw on the talent, knowledge and life experience of each and every one of us.
Our federal party became the first national political party to be led by a woman when Audrey McLaughlin won the leadership in 1989. Today, women comprise nearly 40% of the federal NDP Caucus – an unprecedented number.
Unfortunately, women continue to be under-represented in the Saskatchewan legislature. So, in 2008, the NDP set a goal of ensuring that in future, 50% of the party’s candidates for public office will be women. In 2012, the party established a committee to explore best practices for increasing the number of women and other under-represented groups in the political process. For the 2016 election, nominations didn't go forward until equity-seeking candidates were in place. After the 2016 election, SNDW created a 20 for 2020 strategy. And while we didn't hit 20 women MLAs, we did elect a caucus that is 62% women in 2020.
The SNDW is invigorated by the success of women in the 2020 election, and so in April 2021 we created a resolution to elect 12 More for 2024! The SNDW is committing to develop and support a strategy that incresses the elected NDP caucus to 20 female-identified MLAs in the 2024 provincial election.
We invite committed and energetic women of all ages and all backgrounds to join us in building a party and a province where women can participate equally at every level. If you want to join us, please fill out the form or contact [email protected].
Radical Conversations
Check out our upcoming events in our Radical Conversations series! These conversations are a great opportunity to learn, connect with other New Democrats, and help advance the work of the SNDW. See you there!