A Persistent Sacrifice: The 'Sacrificial Lamb' Effect, Women Candidates, and Underrepresentation in the 44th Parliament

Abstract

In August of 2021, Canadian Parliament was dissolved and the 44^th federal election was called. Its result was a Parliament that was only marginally more representative of female and gender-diverse candidates than the last. This is in part due to the ‘sacrificial lamb’ effect identified by Melanee Thomas and Marc-Andre Bodet, which highlights the persistence of parties in running women and gender-diverse candidates in unwinnable or ‘swing’ ridings – such that they become ‘sacrifices’ and are destined for failure. Previous research has confirmed the presence of the ‘sacrificial lamb’ effect across several elections. I examine specific incidents of gender-diverse candidates being run in the ‘stronghold’ riding of another party, as well as the slates of candidates in several ‘swing’ and ‘stronghold’ ridings across the country. Further, I consider the likely implications of the ‘sacrificial lamb’ effect and the general underrepresentation of female candidates in the 44^th Parliament, as well as the extent to which the ‘sacrificial lamb’ effect may have compromised the freeness and fairness of the 2021 campaign. I conclude that the ‘sacrificial lamb’ effect continued in full force throughout the 2021 campaign, which is likely to have a detrimental impact on the representation of women’s interests, specifically as they pertain to the pressing women’s issues of today.