Lack of diversity in P.E.I. federal candidate list called 'disappointing'

The majority of candidates running on P.E.I. this federal election are once again white men.

All of the people who've so far thrown their hat in the ring are white, and only three — Margaret Andrade in Charlottetown, Anna Keenan in Malpeque and Lynne Thiele in Cardigan —are women.

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"It was a little disappointing to see the lack of women candidates but as disappointing as that was, I don't think it was really surprising in itself," said Sweta Daboo, executive director of the P.E.I. Coalition for Women in Government.

Daboo said the uncertainty surrounding when the election was called may have played a big role in the candidate pool's lack of diversity. 

"This is a process that takes time and time is something that you ... don't have when it comes to a snap election," she said.

Daboo said parties should look at making changes to their recruitment processes to draw more diverse candidates.

"The changes that need to happen need to happen within the parties themselves in terms of diversifying their recruitment effort and starting early," she said.

"I think what also makes a big difference is who's doing recruiting and who's choosing the candidates. If you have a diverse recruiting committee, then you're going to have diverse candidates."

Voters will head to the polls on Sept. 20.

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