Women’s Suffrage

“1977 Canadian Human Rights Act prohibits discrimination in employment on the grounds of sex, age, marital status, race,

religion”

Christina Whynot

Women’s Suffrage

• They tried to get women the right to vote, along with other rights.

• Suffrage was renewed in the 20’s

• Women asked, “Why can’t we vote ?”

Vote for Women in Canada

• 1916- Alberta, Manitoba, Saskatchewan

• 1918- Nova Scotia

• 1919- New Brunswick, Ontario

• 1920- British Columbia

• 1922- Prince Edward Island

• 1925- Newfoundland

Anti Suffragists

• Arguments were fueled by the difference between women and men( Physical and Biological). They said women were frailty, this made them wrong for the vote. They thought women were intellectually inferior.

• If women were to vote they would risk the nation’s security and start wars.

• Women would cheat at the ballots• In the views of the anti suffragists men were rational and

emotionally stable. Women were irrational and high strung, a threat to men’s masculinity. These views made women dangerious voters.

• “Women would become more masculine… men would become more effeminate.”

Emily Murphy

• Started as a writer and sketcher. Her writing expressed concern for women’s welfare.

• Legal expert• 1903- Campaign for property rights of women.• First woman Police Magistrate in Britian• 12 years Emily tried to have women declared as

‘Persons’ under the law.• “This is courtship all the world over- the man all

tongue- the woman all ears”

Emily Murphy

Nellie McClung• Born in Ontario on October 20, 1873• Became a teacher at sixteen• Married Robert Wesley McClung in 1896• Invloved in Woman’s Christian Temperance group• Had a writing career and wrote about women’s rights ,

related issues• In 1921 she castellated into Alberta’s Legislative

Assembly as a Liberal• By 1923, Nellie was in the women’s Suffrage. She was

a prohibitionist and social reformer.

Nellie McClung

Famous Five

• Nellie McClung, Henrietta Muir Edwards, Louise McKinney, Irene Parlby and Emily Murphy were all members of the famous Five. They worked to have women declared as ‘Persons’ under the law.They went to the Supreme Court of Canada on April 1928, but lost. So the took the case to the Privy Council and months after women were finally considered persons.

Famous Five

Women’s Suffrage

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