Ontario Women's Liberal Commission

The story of the Ontario Women's Liberal Commission (OWLC) begins in 1928 when a determined group of Liberal women from across Canada gathered for a national assembly, the first of its kind. They saw the need for an active and effective women's wing of the Liberal Party of Canada and were set on establishing an organization that would give them a strong voice within the Party.

Today, the OWLC is one of the major pillars of the Ontario Liberal Party and represents and promotes the interests of women within the Party by encouraging the active participation of women in politics and ensuring that provincial policies and legislation embrace women and have a gender lens applied to them.

Margaret Campbell was a very active and visible female Liberal, serving in public office for more than two decades. During her distinguished career, Ms. Campbell served as a member of city council, as a provincial court judge and eventually became a Member of Provincial Parliament.

Ms. Campbell was a distinguished female Liberal Member of Provincial Parliament. She was first elected in 1973 representing the riding of St. George and throughout her career she worked tirelessly for many causes. She led the crusade for women's rights, as well as the fight for better health care and improvements to the justice system.

In 1984, The Margaret Campbell Fund was established to help raise funds in support of female Liberal candidates. The Ontario Women's Liberal Commission supports this fund through a number of fundraising initiatives.

The ability to successfully raise enough funds to mount an effective campaign is, sadly, still an obstacle that female candidates face today. The Margaret Campbell Fund strives to offer the financial support that female candidates deserve.

Donate to the Margaret Campbell Fund

In 2019, the Ontario Women's Liberal Commission (OWLC) and the Ontario Young Liberals (OYL) launched the Ontario Liberal Women's Mentorship Network (OLWMN)!

The OLWMN aims to help women across Ontario expand their professional, political, and social networks. We want Ontario Liberal women to share their experiences in work, campaigning, and political life, all while forging meaningful relationships.

Connect with an Ontario Women's Liberal Club or Association in your region.

1. 1

   Get a core group of women together to act as an organizing and planning committee.

   Three or four women is recommended. These women become the nucleus of the Club or Association and hopefully become the Executive Officers of your Club or Association - President, Vice-President, Treasurer and/or Secretary.

2. 2

   Decide on a name for your group.

   Your group can be a Club or Association e.g. Tuesday Luncheon Club or Waterloo Region Women's Provincial Liberal Association. Your Club or Association can be specific to one provincial riding or to a region or geographic area.

3. 3

   Prepare your paperwork.

   The Ontario Women's Liberal Commission will provide you with all the documents you will need - Founding Meeting notice, agenda, minutes, a member information form and constitution. A constitution is a very important document for your Club or Association. It will provide guidance on your mandate, number of Executive Officers required, membership needed, fundraising etc.

4. 4

   Actively recruit and invite women to join your Club or Association.

   You need a minimum of 10 women who are current members of the Ontario Liberal Party. From these women, you will need to identify Executive Officers, who will stand for election in the following positions - President, Vice President, Treasurer and/or Secretary.

5. 5

   Set a date, time and place for your Founding Meeting and get your notice out.

   It is very important to notify the Ontario Women's Liberal Commission once you are ready to send out the notice for your meeting - as they can help you get in touch with the Ontario Liberal Party Regional VP and local Riding Presidents.

6. 6

   Identify a Chair for your Founding Meeting.

   The Ontario Women's Liberal Commission can help you secure a Chair for your Founding Meeting. They will also provide you with some Ontario Women's Liberal Commission literature and merchandise that you can hand out at the Founding Meeting.

7. 7

   Hold a successful Founding Meeting.

   At the Founding Meeting, your Club or Association Executive will be elected and your constitution will be adopted. Use this meeting to discuss your Club or Association priorities and to set a schedule for regular meetings. You may want to circulate a short survey to the attendees to get a sense of their interests.

8. 8

   Submit your Founding Meeting paperwork to get your club ratified!

   Final copies of the Founding Meeting minutes, constitution, list of Club or Association Executive Members with contact information as well as membership list should be sent to the Ontario Women's Liberal Commission. Once final materials are received your club will be ratified.

Welcome to the Ontario Women's Liberal Commission!

You're on Your Way! Good Luck!

Remember you MUST have an Annual General Meeting every year in order to be ratified by the Ontario Women's Liberal Commission. For more information, contact the Ontario Women's Liberal Commission at owlc@ontarioliberal.ca

Download the PDF

Suzanne McAllister was a long time, dedicated member of the Toronto-Danforth Provincial Liberals who inspired everyone to want to do more and to do better. She warmed everyone's heart with her welcoming smile and manner. When we lost our beloved Suzanne in 2020, the Toronto-Danforth Provincial Liberals wanted to create an award in her name - The Suzanne McAllister Memorial Award - that would recognize Suzanne and her long standing commitment to youth and to women in Liberal politics. The award was intended to support youth 29 and under, who had demonstrated an interest in provincial politics and the participation of women in politics, by providing for their attendance at the annual Margaret Campbell events. Although covid has prevented these annual events from taking place in the last couple of years, the Toronto-Danforth Provincial Liberals wanted to make a donation of $600 in 2022 to the Margaret Campbell Fund in recognition of Suzanne McAllister.