A group in Fredericton is looking to help give gender diverse candidates a boost heading into municipal elections.
Women+ in Politics works to help women and people of diverse genders access the resources necessary for them to get involved in politics.
Right now, the city has just one woman at the council table – Ward 10 councillor Kate Rogers — and only three ran in the last municipal election.
READ MORE: MLAs hope record-high number of women in house just the beginning
The group’s co-chair, Kathi Zwicker, says they’ve already seen a higher number of candidates declare this time around.
“We have four or five that have actually declared,” she says, “we have a few more in waiting in the new year.“
Zwicker says they’re not done looking yet, with hopes to help at least one candidate in each of the city’s 12 ridings.
READ MORE: Fredericton city council adopts recommendations for greater gender inclusivity, diversity
The group helps potential candidates learn how to access funding, set up campaign teams and brush up on social media skills.
Zwicker says there’s no real political agenda, just a want to see wider representation.
“We’re not a slate of candidates,” says Zwicker, “we do not all come from the same conservative or liberal viewpoint of the world.”
“One would think that maybe we are a feminist group, but we’re a feminine and feminist group, so we have a lot of viewpoints.”
Zwicker says she was inspired to get involved when she moved back to her hometown of Fredericton three years ago.
“I noticed there was a huge number of women speaking out on issues and yet it seemed to be going out in a void,” she says.
“We want to get those women voices heard and get them at the table.”
Women+ in Politics plans to hold “campaign schools” in January and February.
Anyone interested in their help can find them on Facebook.