B.C. Legislature Becomes First in Canada to Have a Female Majority

In a historic first for Canada, the B.C. Legislature is now majority-female, with 49 of the 93 MLAs elected in the 2024 provincial election identifying as women. This marks the first time a Canadian provincial or federal legislature has reached a female majority, with women making up 52.7 percent of the house.

Among the 49 women, 31 were elected from the B.C. NDP, and 18 from the B.C. Conservative Party. According to advocacy group Equal Voice, this milestone surpasses the previous closest attempt, when the Quebec National Assembly reached 46 percent female representation in the last election. Nationally, female MPs account for 31 percent of the federal House of Commons, according to Statistics Canada.

This achievement has garnered praise from advocates and political figures. Former B.C. Liberal cabinet minister Mary Polak, who was first elected in 2005, described the journey to this point as a “long, long path,” noting that women made up 43 percent of the legislature in the previous term. She remarked on the positive shift in voter behavior, where gender is less of a factor in candidate selection, focusing instead on the quality of the candidate.

Chi Nguyen, executive director of Equal Voice, lauded the representation as a potential catalyst for new approaches in policymaking, noting that diversity in thought tends to yield different and potentially more inclusive policies. Nguyen credited the B.C. NDP for nominating a slate with about 60 percent female candidates but commended all parties for increasing female participation.

Nguyen also emphasized the importance of having governments that reflect the diversity of the population, suggesting that more representative legislatures could help rebuild public trust in democratic systems.