The Gender Dynamics of Interest Group Politics: The Case of the Canadian Menstruators and the Campaign to Eliminate the “Tampon Tax”

In Canadian politics, interest groups are said to provide an important vehicle for organising and representing the collective interests of society before government. This chapter explores how gender shapes interest groups politics and the institutional arena(s) where it takes place and highlights how and why women’s and LGBTQ2 groups and their interests are often marginalised in policymaking. Still, these groups can sometimes be “winners” in interest group politics. This chapter explores how one group—the Canadian Menstruators—used outside lobbying strategies and strategic alliances to successfully lobby for the removal of the discriminatory “tampon tax”.