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Election candidates, minister resigns
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April 27, 2009
Study tracks nomination process
B.C.’s political parties should consider using candidate “quotas” to eliminate the potential for bias against certain types of nominees, including women and minorities. That’s the result of a new study of the nomination process leading up to B.C.’s 2005 election, called Beauty is in the Eye of the Selector: Bias against Unattractive Nominees in BC’s 2005 Candidate Selection Contests. Kennedy Stewart, of SFU’s public policy program, and SFU research associate Jeanette Ashe, say quotas would help parties produce more representative candidate pools and reduce the deficit of women and minorities in the B.C. legislature.
Kennedy Stewart, (out of the country this week but available via email) kennedys@sfu.ca
Jeanette Ashe, 604.345.8182; ashej@douglas.bc.ca
Find the study here.
Cabinet minister resigns
John van Dongen has resigned as B.C.’s Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General following the revelation that his driver’s license was suspended for four months for excessive speeding. He'll continue to run in the provincial election. SFU marketing expert Lindsay Meredith says stepping down was the right move and the issue is still far enough removed from voting day. “The school principal getting caught chewing gum in class is not a good strategy – making him a foot soldier now is probably okay,” he says. He cautions that there could be a cumulative effect if resulting negative publicity is coupled with any further fall-out from other controversies such as the sale of B.C. Rail.
Lindsay Meredith, 604.932.6934 (Whistler); lindsay_meredith@sfu.ca
B.C.’s political parties should consider using candidate “quotas” to eliminate the potential for bias against certain types of nominees, including women and minorities. That’s the result of a new study of the nomination process leading up to B.C.’s 2005 election, called Beauty is in the Eye of the Selector: Bias against Unattractive Nominees in BC’s 2005 Candidate Selection Contests. Kennedy Stewart, of SFU’s public policy program, and SFU research associate Jeanette Ashe, say quotas would help parties produce more representative candidate pools and reduce the deficit of women and minorities in the B.C. legislature.
Kennedy Stewart, (out of the country this week but available via email) kennedys@sfu.ca
Jeanette Ashe, 604.345.8182; ashej@douglas.bc.ca
Find the study here.
Cabinet minister resigns
John van Dongen has resigned as B.C.’s Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General following the revelation that his driver’s license was suspended for four months for excessive speeding. He'll continue to run in the provincial election. SFU marketing expert Lindsay Meredith says stepping down was the right move and the issue is still far enough removed from voting day. “The school principal getting caught chewing gum in class is not a good strategy – making him a foot soldier now is probably okay,” he says. He cautions that there could be a cumulative effect if resulting negative publicity is coupled with any further fall-out from other controversies such as the sale of B.C. Rail.
Lindsay Meredith, 604.932.6934 (Whistler); lindsay_meredith@sfu.ca