Ellected Ep. 63 - Calgary City Councillor Jasmine Mian on Equitable Remote Work Policies for Parents in Politics

In Ep. 63 of Ellected join host and founder of Madame Premier Sarah Elder-Chamanara in discussion with Calgary City Councillor, former Olympian and mom Jasmine Mian in a discussion on the city's remote work policy for council members in response to a staff recommendation to change council’s code of conduct and procedure bylaws to limit councillors’ ability to tune in to meetings virtually because of how some members of council abused the policy. Mian introduced an amendment to make sure councillors are able to continue to work remotely as protected grounds of the Alberta Human Rights Act.

Also up for discussion in this episode with Mian and Elder-Chamanara are how we need more women, parents and diversity in politics and how we can better prepare women for the job of elected office knowing that the environment is highly toxic.

"I am the first woman to have a baby while in office here and that's for a reason: because the job hasn't largely been accessible, and so I think it's thinking about how do we make it so that city hall actually looks like the people we represent," Calgary City Councillor Jasmine Mian

More about Jasmine Mian:
Jasmine Mian was elected Councillor for Ward 3 in the Calgary General Election on Oct. 18, 2021. She is the youngest woman ever elected to Calgary City Council.

A second-generation Canadian, Councillor Mian holds Masters degrees in Public Policy and Psychology and has worked in both the private and public sectors. She represented Canada in the sport of wrestling at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. 

Councillor Mian is passionate about pedestrian and road safety due to being struck by a driver when she was only four years old. She completed her Master's thesis on pedestrian safety and continues to advocate for safer streets.  

Her other priorities include addressing the climate emergency, downtown revitalization/economy, and improving transportation in Ward 3. She' s remained active in her community through volunteering for Big Brothers Big Sisters. 

More about Sarah Elder-Chamanara:
Sarah Elder-Chamanara is the founder, creative director, designer and owner of Madame Premier, a feminist, political and activist clothing company and community based in Calgary, Alberta. With the underlying principle of seeing more women and diversity in politics, elected and in backrooms, at every level, Sarah and Madame Premier create opportunities for conversations about how politics works, why it needs to change, who it needs to change for and how the time for that is now.