When Peggy Nash first decided to run for elected office, she had no idea where to start, who to contact, or what the rules were. For those who are underrepresented in political life, politics can seem like a secret society designed to shut them out.

Women Winning Office is a practical handbook for activist women on how to open doors and take their place in the political process. Find out how to build a team, get nominated, inspire volunteers, and canvass voters. Nash draws on her experience in five federal campaigns, as well as the stories of many inspiring Canadian women who have run for office at all levels of government. Some succeeded; some did not. Some faced difficult and painful experiences. Every one of them would do it again.

To make real progressive change, we need to change not only who gets elected in Canada, but how our democracy functions. If you want to find out how to take your desire for a better world into elected office, this book is for you.

Peggy Nash is an advocate for labour rights and social justice in Canadian politics and the labour movement, as a long-time senior negotiator for the CAW (now Unifor). A former president of the federal New Democratic Party, she was a candidate for leader after the untimely death of Jack Layton. A candidate in several federal elections, she served as a Member of Parliament and was named Official Opposition Industry and Finance Critic. Nash is an educator, a frequent media commentator, a founding member of Equal Voice and a co-founder of Toronto Metropolitan University's Women in the House program.

Peggy Nash's profile page

• Short-listed, The Next Generation Indie Book Awards, Adult Non-fiction, Social Change
• Short-listed, The Next Generation Indie Book Awards, Adult Non-fiction, Women's Issues

“...[M]otherly sharing of experience from someone who wants women to succeed.”

<p><em>Compulsive Reader Magazine</em></p>

“Long-time labour activist and NDP politician Peggy Nash combines detailed electoral strategy with encouragement for progressive activists to run for office. In a time when the far right has an outsized influence in many elections, from local school trustee races to the federal election, it is refreshing to read a book that encourages leftist women to run for office. Women Winning Office offers valuable guidance and mentorship for progressive women interested in electoral politics. And for those who are not considering running for office, it helps demystify the work it takes to run an electoral campaign.”

<p><em>Briarpatch Magazine</em></p>