Without Constance Barnes, the NDP may run only two female candidates in Vancouver

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      The failure of Constance Barnes to win the NDP nomination in Vancouver–False Creek has left her party with a shortage of female candidates in the city.

      Barnes, a two-term park commissioner, lost yesterday to digital-media entrepreneur Matt Toner. He's the fifth male to be nominated for the NDP in Vancouver in less than a year.

      MLAs Mable Elmore (Vancouver-Kensington) and Jenny Kwan (Vancouver–Mount Pleasant) may end up being the only women among the 11 NDP candidates running in Vancouver in next year's provincial election.

      Leader Adrian Dix (Vancouver-Kingsway) and incumbents Spencer Chandra Herbert (Vancouver–West End) and Shane Simpson (Vancouver-Hastings) are also seeking reelection.

      The other nominated candidates in Vancouver are David Eby (Vancouver–Point Grey), George Chow (Vancouver-Langara), George Heyman (Vancouver-Fairview), and Gabriel Yiu (Vancouver-Fraserview).

      Two male environmentalists, Chris Moon and Nicholas Scapillati, are scrapping it out for the final NDP nomination in the city in Vancouver-Quilchena. It's probably the safest B.C. Liberal seat in the province.

      Given the make-up of the slate in Vancouver, don't be surprised if NDP officials try to persuade a high-profile female, such as former park commissioner Loretta Woodcock, to carry the party's banner in Vancouver-Quilchena to improve the optics.

      Despite the shortage of female candidates in Vancouver, Dix will have no shortage of women from the Lower Mainland to choose for his cabinet should the NDP win the next election.

      In addition to Elmore and Kwan, the party is represented by Kathy Corrigan in Burnaby–Deer Lake and Sue Hammell in Surrey–Green Timbers. Meanwhile, veteran trade unionist Judy Darcy is expected to win a seat in New Westminster, Delta councillor Sylvia Bishop has a good chance in Delta North, and Coquitlam councillor Selena Robinson is the favourite in Coquitlam-Maillardville.

      Three of the four NDP candidates in Burnaby are female, as are both candidates in Coquitlam.

      The B.C. NDP under its male leader has traditionally polled extremely well with female voters. The B.C. Liberals, on the other hand, have attracted more support among men than women with Christy Clark at the helm.


      Follow Charlie Smith on Twitter at twitter.com/csmithstraight.

      Comments

      4 Comments

      SPY vs SPY

      Nov 18, 2012 at 12:51pm

      Everyone should be much more concerned with a Candidates Brains & Heart, that what's tucked into their underwear!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

      Gender alone is no Guarantee of Anything.

      Eg - Christy Clarke - Grace McCarthy - Rona Ambrose - Get it -

      Dianne

      Nov 18, 2012 at 2:17pm

      Are the overall party policies supportive of gender equality? Will the budgets, priorities, and policies pass the gender equality lens tests ?

      It would be great to have more progressive women in government but progressive women can't do anything substantive if the rest of the party is dominated by right winged, chauvinistic men in the back rooms calling all the shots.

      Answered Prayers

      Nov 18, 2012 at 7:17pm

      Absolutely delighted that Constance "You All Remember My Father Emery, Right?" Barnes has been shunned by the very savvy and smart NDP riding members of False Creek. Talk about running on someone else's record. It's a scandal she's a Park Board commissioner.

      Too bad the NDP leader owes so much to Kwan. Gosh, wasn't she one of Gang that unseated (another) woman, Carole James?

      :-) Good luck to the economics prof. I can hardly wait to see him take on Sam!

      dave19

      Nov 20, 2012 at 7:38pm

      Spy vs. Spy is right. Race and sexual orientation is another example of this rediculas NDP politically correct affermitive action for candidates nonsence.