B.C.’s former premier is taking to social media, calling for more women in higher political positions.
Christy Clark’s Thursday night Facebook post comes in the wake of some prominent men in Canadian politics stepping down this week amid sexual misconduct allegations.
On Wednesday, Jamie Baillie resigned as Nova Scotia PC leader and MLA after the party conducted an independent, third-party investigation into an allegation of harassment in the workplace.
Later that day, Ontario PC leader Patrick Brown held a press conference to “categorically” deny allegations of sexual misconduct against him, which he vowed to fight in court. Hours later, early Thursday morning, he announced in a written statement that he, too, would step down.
And come Thursday afternoon, another announcement: Liberal MP Kent Hehr has resigned from the federal cabinet over sexual harassment allegations, though he will continue to sit in the party caucus.
Clark began her message by thanking the brave women who have come forward about their experiences, saying “it’s a damn hard thing to talk about.”
Clark herself is no stranger to sexual assault — in June 2016, she broke her silence about an incident where a man pulled her into bushes while she was walking to work when she was just 13-years-old.
WATCH: Christy Clark breaks silence about the deeply personal revelation she made about a childhood attack.
Her post states that in a workplace with few women, sexist and inappropriate behaviour happens a lot in politics — but it’s harder for sexist behaviour to be ignored when there’s a woman in the room.
“Elect more women to make change,” Clark said. “If she’s smart and capable, give her the chance.”
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