Running for office: 31 women on Calgary ballot, where their biggest challenge may be online hate
Jan Damery is running for mayor. But some people apparently aren't happy about it.
Her campaign team is displaying some of the abusive messages they've received online.
"I HATE EVERYTHING ABOUT YOU" reads one.
"F**K OFF LADY" reads another.
"YOU ARE DILLUSIONAL!! Idiot b***ch" reads another (sic).
Damery said she doesn't take it personally. She believes the online trolling is symptomatic of a population stressed out by the pandemic and everything it's brought.
"Ultimately I just see fear when I read those things," said the economist, one of four women running for the city's top job, "I think it reminds me how people are struggling in the community with their mental health."
Jan Damery, July 27, 2021 in Calgary, Alberta
31 WOMEN RUNNING
31 women are running for either city council or the mayor's chair this year - coincidentally, 31 is also the total number of females who've been elected to council in Calgary's history. No woman has ever been mayor here.
While the number of females running is on the rise, so is the hate directed toward them.
"It's hard to deal with," said Grace Yan, also a mayoral candidate, "you have to be very mentally strong to run, that comes with running a campaign. There is abuse."
Ask Her YYC is an organizations dedicated to preparing women who aspire to public office.
Calgary mayoral candidates Zane Novak, Jan Damery and Virginia Stone at a press conference outside City Hall Thursday, Oct. 14
While that used to mean advising them on how to fundraise and formulate policy, it now also includes how to deal with constant attacks on social media.
"The terrible reality is that women experience misogyny sexism and harassment, particularly when it comes to social media and online," said Gillian Hynes, who leads the organization. "It's the norm but I don't think it's fair. "
"Men experience it as well," she added, "but I do believe women experience it to a different degree. It's not acceptable that people are subjected to that because the bravest thing you can do is put your hand up to run for office."
Calgary mayoral candidate Grace Yan, Oct. 15, 2021
Hynes said women face other barriers to running as well, including family obligations and a possible lack of political contacts to tap into.
She said she's encouraged by the relatively high number of candidates this year. So is Frances Wright, who runs the Famous Five Foundation.
"Women are thinking of entering politics and indeed are running for politics because the encouragement they are receiving from their families, their friends, from men in general and woman as well," Wright said.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Budget 2024 prioritizes housing while taxing highest earners, deficit projected at $39.8B
In an effort to level the playing field for young people, in the 2024 federal budget, the government is targeting Canada's highest earners with new taxes in order to help offset billions in new spending to enhance the country's housing supply and social supports.
BUDGET 2024 Feds cutting 5,000 public service jobs, looking to turn underused buildings into housing
Five thousand public service jobs will be cut over the next four years, while underused federal office buildings, Canada Post properties and the National Defence Medical Centre in Ottawa could be turned into new housing units, as the federal government looks to find billions of dollars in savings and boost the country's housing portfolio.
Some of the winners and losers in the 2024 federal budget
With a variety of fiscal and policy measures announced in the federal budget, winners include small businesses and fintech companies while losers include the tobacco industry and Canadian pension funds.
From housing initiatives to a disability benefit, how the federal budget impacts you
From plans to boost new housing stock, encourage small businesses, and increase taxes on Canada’s top-earners, CTVNews.ca has sifted through the 416-page budget to find out what will make the biggest difference to your pocketbook.
Toronto police arrest several people at rail line protest
Several people have been arrested at a pro-Palestinian demonstration in the city’s west end that blocked rail lines for hours Tuesday.
500 Newfoundlanders wound up on the same cruise and it turned into a rocking kitchen party
A Celebrity Apex cruise to the Caribbean this month turned into a rocking Newfoundland kitchen party when hundreds of people from Canada's easternmost province happened to be booked on the same ship.
Teen hockey players arrested for sexual assault following hazing incident: Manitoba RCMP
Three teenagers were arrested in connection with a pair of alleged hazing incidents on a Manitoba hockey team, police say.
B.C. killer seeks to attend sentencing by video as lawyer cites safety concerns
A defence lawyer for Ibrahim Ali, who was convicted of first-degree murder of a 13-year-old girl in Burnaby, B.C., says the man wants to appear at his sentencing hearing by video over fear for his safety.
Lululemon unveils first summer kit for Canada's Olympic and Paralympic teams
Lululemon showed off its collection for the Summer Olympics and Paralympics on Tuesday at the Liberty Grand entertainment complex. Athletes sported a variety of selections during a fashion show that featured garments to be worn on the podium, during opening and closing ceremonies, media interviews and daily life on the ground in France.