Honourable senators, this fall, municipalities in Quebec, Alberta, Newfoundland and Labrador, Yukon and most regions of the Northwest Territories will be holding elections.

I would like to take advantage of this pre-election period to invite Canadians to give municipal politics a try and run for mayor or municipal councillor.

I think we need to launch a special appeal to young people and women, who are under-represented in these positions. To give an example that I am familiar with, right now, in Quebec, young people between the ages of 18 and 35 represent only 8.3% of elected municipal officials, and women represent only 32%.

Yet local governments have a fundamental role to play in issues that are critical to youth and women, such as decisions that affect the environment, social inclusion, culture, sports, recreation, transportation, and access to housing.

Getting involved in municipal politics gives people the opportunity to have a direct impact on their fellow citizens’ daily lives and on issues they care about. I know that I don’t have to convince you. We all want municipal councils that are more diverse and more balanced. What we need to ask ourselves is, what can we, as senators, do to achieve that objective?

The Union des municipalités du Québec, the UMQ, surveyed young people who are involved in their communities and found that they don’t feel they have good contacts in municipal politics and that they still suffer from impostor syndrome. The same probably goes for other under-represented groups. That’s why I’m actively involved as a mentor in “Ose le municipal,” a campaign to promote participation in local government that was initiated by the UMQ and Quebec’s youth secretariat.

The idea is to mentor young people who aren’t quite ready to make the leap by offering the support they need to give it a try. I invite you to do likewise for young people, women and members of cultural communities in your area. Encourage them to get into municipal politics, and help them do it. Our communities will be better off, and I’m sure that those who agree to participate in our municipalities’ democratic life will be in for some amazing personal growth opportunities.

Thank you. Meegwetch.