Haley Bateman hopes provincial legislation protecting women will be passed by June
A Niagara Regional councillor hopes legislation dealing with harassment in politics, particularly toward women, will be passed provincially by June.
Haley Bateman was pushing for Bill 5 in Toronto recently, which could remove an offending politician from office, among other measures.
She says it's not just women in Niagara dealing with this. "In the Toronto area, there was a woman who was having keys run along the side of her car, by one of her fellow councillors. The stress of that relationship with her colleague, because he can't be removed, was so much she ended up resigning from her position."
Current harassment legislation does not apply to municipal politics.
Bateman says Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing Paul Calandra promised to get Bill 5 passed, but was also told the government wants to improve the legislation, which she appreciates.
"If you talk to women about running, they'll say 'I was going to do it, but it's too much... the harassment between colleagues, and the in-fighting, it becomes too much, it's overwhelming. That's the feedback I've received from women."
She adds a Niagara politician was caught sending pornographic pictures, and an Ottawa area politician was brought before an ethics commissioner.
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