Tom Axworthy paints a sorry picture of the state of the representation of women in Canada. He is right when he states that the parties are the culprits in not nominating more women, but our dysfunctional voting system is also a partner in crime.

Most countries with a good percentage of women (representatives) elect them under a form of proportional representation.

Our present system can be modified to add an element of proportionality, which will have the benefit of nominating not only more women but also other under-represented groups as well.

Just a minor error, Canada is not 42nd in the world — that is the rank of Pakistan. Canada weighs in at 44th.