Canada

Senate

Political system
Parliamentary system
Structure of parliament
Bicameral
IPU membership
Yes

Data on women

Information on the current and historical representation of women in the parliament. Consult the 'Elections' tab to see how women have fared in elections or renewals.

Current representation

Women's representation in the current parliament or chamber

Current number of members
97
Women
51
Percentage of women
52.6%

Speaker

Speaker
Raymonde Gagné (Female)
Date of birth: 1956
Additional information

Appointed on 12 May 2023.
As the Speaker of the Senate serves at the pleasure of the Prime Minister, there is no set term.

Secretary general

Secretary General
Shaila Anwar (Female)

Chairs of specialized bodies

Specialized body Theme Name Sex Age
Senate Standing Committee on Human Rights Human rights Salma Ataullahjan Female 71

Data on age at the start of the legislature

Number of members, by age (2021-11)
Breakdown of members by age and gender
18 - 20 21 - 30 31 - 40 41 - 45 46 - 50 51 - 60 61 - 70 71 - 80 81 - 90 91 and over Totals per gender
Male 0 0 0 0 1 8 23 15 0 0 47
Female 0 0 0 1 1 9 22 12 0 0 45
Totals per age interval 0 0 0 1 2 17 45 27 0 0 92
Total <= 45: 1 Total >= 46: 91
Percentage of members, by age
Age at the last election or renewal Overall Male Female
Percentage of MPs 30 years of age or younger
0.0% 0.0% 0.0%
Percentage of MPs 40 years of age or younger
0.0% 0% 0.0%
Percentage of MPs 45 years of age or younger
1.1% 0% 1.1%

Reserved seats and quotas

There are reserved seats in parliament for certain groups
No
Electoral quota for women
No

First woman in parliament

Year of first woman in parliament
1921

First woman speaker

Year of first woman speaker
1972

Women’s suffrage

Women’s right to vote
1917
Restricted or universal suffrage
Restricted
Detail of restrictions
Women who served in the military or who had a close male relative serving in the military (i.e. a father, husband or son) were granted the right to vote
Women’s right to vote
1918
Restricted or universal suffrage
Restricted
Detail of restrictions
All women except for Indians
Women’s right to vote
1950
Restricted or universal suffrage
Restricted
Detail of restrictions
Federal franchise extended to Indians (regardless of gender) under the condition that they waive the tax exemptions given to them by the Indian Act
Women’s right to vote
1960
Restricted or universal suffrage
Universal

Notes: Universal adult male suffrage was not achieved federally until August 1960, with the unqualified extension of voting rights to all Indians under the Act to Amend the Canada Elections Act. It was not until 1969 (1940?), when Quebec became the last province to extend franchise rights to Indians, that provincial voting was secured.

Women's right to stand for election
1919
Restricted or universal
Restricted
Women's right to stand for election
1929
Restricted or universal
Restricted
Women's right to stand for election
1950
Restricted or universal
Restricted
Women's right to stand for election
1960
Restricted or universal
Universal

Notes: Right to stand for election without any restriction

Women's caucus

Women's caucuses or parliamentary groups that bring together women parliamentarians to strengthen cooperation and amplify their voices. For other parliamentary bodies or committees that have a specific mandate to address gender equality matters, see the ‘Specialized body – Gender equality’ tab.

Historical data for IPU membership

Historical data for IPU membership
Year IPU membership
2020-09
List of values for 2020-09
No
2019-04
List of values for 2019-04
No
2018-06
List of values for 2018-06
No