Gender representation among Canadian members of Parliament and Cabinet

Release date: March 8, 2024
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Infographic: Gender representation among Canadian members of Parliament and Cabinet
Description: Gender representation among Canadian members of Parliament and Cabinet

Canada’s federal Parliament comprises the House of Commons and the Senate.Note 1 While the Senate comprises representatives appointed by the Governor General of Canada, the House of Commons is made up of representatives elected by people in Canada to represent constituents in each electoral district in the provinces and territories.


Table 1
Reflecting the population sizes of Ontario and Quebec, these two provinces had the most members of Parliament in 2023.
Table summary
This table displays the results of Reflecting the population sizes of Ontario and Quebec. The information is grouped by Region (appearing as row headers), Members of Parliament and Cabinet members (appearing as column headers).
Region Members of Parliament Cabinet members
Canada  337 39
Newfoundland and Labrador  7 2
Prince Edward Island  4 1
Nova Scotia  11 1
New Brunswick  10 2
Quebec  78 11
Ontario  121 16
Manitoba  14 1
Saskatchewan  14 0
Alberta  33 1
British Columbia  42 4
Yukon  1 0
Northwest Territories  1 0
Nunavut  1 0
0 true zero or a value rounded to zero

The proportion of women members of Parliament has increased from 1997 to 2023.Note 2


Table 2
Gender distribution of members of Parliament in Canada, percentage
Table summary
This table displays the results of Gender distribution of members of Parliament in Canada. The information is grouped by Year (appearing as row headers), Men and Women (appearing as column headers).
Year Men Women
1997 79.4 20.6
1998 79.7 20.3
1999 80.0 20.0
2000 80.1 19.9
2001 79.4 20.6
2002 78.9 21.1
2003 79.1 20.9
2004 78.8 21.2
2005 78.9 21.1
2006 79.2 20.8
2007 79.1 20.9
2008 78.7 21.3
2009 77.7 22.3
2010 78.2 21.8
2011 75.3 24.7
2012 75.2 24.8
2013 75.2 24.8
2014 75.2 24.8
2015 74.7 25.3
2016 73.9 26.1
2017 72.8 27.2
2018 73.0 27.0
2019 72.8 27.2
2020 71.0 29.0
2021 70.6 29.4
2022 69.4 30.6
2023 69.4 30.6

Cabinet members set priorities and policies for Canada. They are appointed from among the elected members of Parliament and act as advisors to the Prime Minister.

From 2016 to 2023, the proportions of women and men Cabinet members were comparable.


Table 3
Gender distribution of Cabinet members, Canada, percentage
Table summary
This table displays the results of Gender distribution of Cabinet members. The information is grouped by Year (appearing as row headers), Men and Women (appearing as column headers).
Year Men Women
2002 75.7 24.3
2003 76.3 23.7
2004 71.1 28.9
2005 75.7 24.3
2006 79.2 20.8
2007 80.0 20.0
2008 80.0 20.0
2009 73.0 27.0
2010 75.0 25.0
2011 76.3 23.7
2012 76.3 23.7
2013 75.0 25.0
2014 69.2 30.8
2015 69.2 30.8
2016 50.0 50.0
2017 50.0 50.0
2018 50.0 50.0
2019 51.4 48.6
2020 51.4 48.6
2021 51.4 48.6
2022 51.3 48.7
2023 51.3 48.7

Source: Statistics Canada, House of Commons Canada survey program, 1997 to 2023.

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Copyright

Published by authority of the Minister responsible for Statistics Canada.

© His Majesty the King in Right of Canada, as represented by the Minister of Industry, 2024

Use of this publication is governed by the Statistics Canada Open Licence Agreement.

Catalogue no. 11-627-M

Frequency: Occasional

Ottawa

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