A Persistent Sacrifice: The 'Sacrificial Lamb' Effect, Women Candidates, and Underrepresentation in the 44th Parliament
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.29173/crossings124Keywords:
Political Representation, Women in Politics, Canadian Parliament, 2021 Federal Campaign, Agenda setting, Women's IssuesAbstract
In August of 2021, Canadian Parliament was dissolved and the 44th 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 44th 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.
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