As October 2008 flies by, let’s not miss this opportunity to look at women’s history, and give some thought to how far we’ve come, and challenges still ahead. October was declared as Women's History Month by the Canadian federal government in 1992, in response to a letter-writing campaign initiated by a Victoria, BC woman, Lyn Gough. October was chosen because it is the month in which Canadian women officially became "persons" under the law, and eligible for appointment to the Canadian Senate.
On October 18, 1929, Canadian women became persons. This happened mainly because of the work of “the Famous 5”: women who fought for “personhood” of women: Emily Murphy, Henrietta Muir Edwards, Louise McKinney, Irene Parlby and Nellie McClung.
One might jest that it takes a strange woman to change the world! Each of the Famous 5 women’s lives is full of great stories, and each of them made countless contributions to Canadian society.
One bit of trivia that may be inspiring is that Henrietta was 80 years of age and living in Southern Alberta when the “women as persons” controversy arose. Still, she accepted Mrs. Emily Murphy's invitation to tea in her Edmonton home on August 27, 1927 and traveled by train for many hours in the heat. At the age of 80, Henrietta did much of the legal research required before Alberta's Famous 5 could present their case to the Supreme Court as well as the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council. She was annoyed and disappointed when the Supreme Court of Canada announced on April 24, 1928 that the answer to the question, "Does the word "persons" in Section 24 of the British North America Act, 1867, include [female persons]?" was, "No!" Finally, on October 18, 1929, headlines throughout the British Empire repeated the news: "Privy Council Declares Women are Persons," and Henrietta cheered! She acknowledged the support of many women but said that it was also important to thank the men who had helped with this cause. Henrietta passed away two years later.
At the Penticton and Area Women’s Centre we celebrate and honour the efforts of all women and men who have worked and are working towards equality for all. We look to the example of Henrietta as we aspire to have lasting impact throughout our lives.
Sometimes these efforts require a daunting amount of time and perseverance! It can (and does) take generations! Canadians worked for a collective 50 years simply to create a right that many women today take for granted: the right to vote. The First Women's Suffrage petition was presented to the BC Legislature in 1885. It has been said that before 1900, there were at least 10 or 11 attempts to get women the right to vote.
Helena Gutteridge is an example of a woman who was instrumental in pushing the government of British Columbia to give women the right to vote. She was a socialist and feminist whose vision helped to shape social reform legislation in British Columbia in the first decades of the twentieth century, and also one of the first women there to hold high political office.
She was born in England in 1879. A militant suffragist, tutored by the Pankhursts, she learned the politics of confrontation early. Emigrating to Vancouver in 1911, she found the suffrage movement there too polite and organized the B.C. Woman's Suffrage League to help working women fight for the vote.
BC allowed women to vote for the first time in 1917. In the same year, the federal government of Canada allowed Euro-American women in the armed forces and close relatives of soldiers to vote. Believe it or not, all the various ethnic groups did not have the right to vote until 1960.
In order for Canadian women, and others, to have the right to vote, a few people had to dedicate years of their lives to pushing for that right. They faced all kinds of public scrutiny, abuse, criticism and even incarceration as they worked towards their goal.
One might ask how many women in the Okanagan-Similkameen made it a priority to exercise their right to vote in this recent federal election? Equally important, how many people who wanted to vote were turned away from the polls for not meeting the address requirements? How long will some Canadians continue to be turned away from the polls? During a national housing crisis such as we are experiencing now across this country, who would win an election in which the homeless were allowed and encouraged to vote?
Interested in old photos and stories of the struggles and incarceration of American Suffragettes from 90 years ago? Click here.
For more information on Canadian Women's History, have a look at these websites or just type "Women's History" into your favourite search.
http://www.ncwc.ca/aboutUs_history.html
www.swc-cfc.gc.ca/dates/whm/index_e.html (Status of Women Canada)
www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/index.cfm?PgNm=TCE&Params=A1ARTA0008687 - 17k