Former federal Conservative interim leader Rona Ambrose speaks to reporters in Red Deer, Alta., on Saturday, May 5, 2018. Ambrose told reporters after a speech to United Conservative party members at their founding policy convention that she is creating a non-profit group to get more women to run for the party, but says the goal is equal opportunity and not quotas.
Image Credit: THE CANADIAN PRESS/Dean Bennett
May 06, 2018 - 7:00 AM
RED DEER, Alta. - Former federal Conservative cabinet minister and interim party leader Rona Ambrose says she and others are taking action to get more women to run for Alberta's United Conservative party.
Ambrose told party members at the UCP's founding convention she is helping create a non-profit group to help female candidates run for office.
She says the goal is to provide an equal playing field for women, while not setting artificial targets or quotas.
Prime Minister Trudeau and Alberta Premier Rachel Notley have taken pride in gender-balanced cabinets, and Notley's NDP sought a gender-balanced candidate roster in the 2015 election.
Ambrose says UCP Leader Jason Kenney is supporting the non-profit group, which will include Ambrose and Laureen Harper, wife of former prime minister Stephen Harper.
The UCP has two women among its 25 caucus members — Leela Aheer and Angela Pitt — but is seeking more women to run for the 2019 election.
News from © The Canadian Press, 2018