Emily, Murphy, Nellie McClung, and Agnes Macphail Stand for Women's Equality

The first reason that shows that Canada has become a “just society” is the changes to women’s legal rights. Since the 1970s, many women have stepped up to the work of politics. Several instances include Kim Campbell, the first woman to become the prime minister of Canada,1 Kathleen Wynne, the first premier of Canada to be lesbian,2 Beverley McLachlin, the “first female chief of justice of the Supreme Court of Canada,”3 and Catherine Callbeck, the second female provincial premiere and first woman to win

“We may yet live to see that day when women will no longer be news. And it cannot come too soon. I want to be a peaceful, happy, normal human being, pursuing my unimpeded way through life, never having to explain, defend, or apologize for my sex” (Nellie McClung, 1929). Throughout most of history, men have had greater rights than women. In present days, the equality between men and women have improved, despite the fact that some countries are still striving to establish those same rights for both genders. What impact did Nellie McClung make on Canadian society? She is a perfect example of a Canadian social activist who advocated for the rights of women throughout the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. In this essay, I will examine the depictions of the fight for suffrage and the stand for electoral office, in addition to the contribution of the Famous 5 and the type of feminism she represented in order to demonstrate the impact and influence she had as a Canadian woman.

The Famous Five decided to appeal to the decision made by the Supreme Court of Canada with the support of Prime Minister Mackenzie King. The Famous Five appealed to the Judicial Committee and Privy Council of England. In 1929, the British Privy Council declared women as “persons”. They stated that the constitution is a “living tree” and should change according to the time (Creating Canada, page 154). In conclusion, the victory of the Persons Case contributed to the importance of women and opened the door to many rights.

Every woman has the right to moral, legal and political choice. As we look to the past, women fought for the right to be treated the same as men and fundamentally to have the same rights as men. Prior to the turn of the century, women had little to no rights. World War I and II gave way to change, allowing women to work and eventually allowing them to vote. The feminist movement has made drastic progress since the war. Today women are seen as equal and have the right not only to vote, but to be educated. In 1977 the Canadian Human Rights Act ensured that women could no longer be discriminated based on their sex, race, religion or sexuality. The act specified that there must be “equal pay for

The Persons case was one of the most defining moments for Canadian women in history. Not only did it allow for women to work in the government but it opened so many doors for other issues involving women and their rights. The Persons Case was a constitutional ruling that gave the right to Women to be able to be appointed into the Senate. The case was started by the Famous Five, a group of women’s right activists, consisting of Emily Murphy, Irene Marryat Parlby, Nellie Mooney McClung, Louise Crummy McKinney and Henrietta Muir Edwards. In 1928, the Supreme Court of Canada ruled that women were not “persons” according to the BNA act. Therefore, they were not eligible to hold a position in the government. The Famous Five were not pleased with this law that was degrading to women so, they appealed to the Privy Council of England and in 1929, the Court’s decision was reversed. The Persons Case enabled women to work for change in

When married, all of a woman's money would automatically become their husbands. Women could not sign legal contracts. Women did not hold any social, political or economic power and they were prohibited from voting. Overall, compared to men, women had a lower quality of life due to all of the limitations they had. Women began to realize that they could do more than just domestic work, that they should be achieving just as much as men were. Women’s suffrage was the fight for women’s right to vote along with other basic rights. Many people were opposed to this such as male legislators and leaders of the Catholic Church. A group that fought for women’s rights in Canada was called the Famous Five. This activist group consisted of the five women; Nellie McClung, Emily Murphy, Henrietta Muir Edwards, Louise McKinney and Irene Parlby. Nellie McClung was a Canadian feminist, politician, author and social activist. She hosted a mock play with a reversal of roles, depicting a society in which women ruled and men were restricted in Manitoba which brought light to all the problems women were struggling with daily. The result of the play provoked conversation about the topic. As more people became informed on women’s suffrage, more people began to support it. Protests proved to be effective when women gained the right to vote in Manitoba, and became the first province to grant women the right to vote. However,

In recent History, Women’s rights were extremely different. Women were treated very differently then men were. Emily Murphy made a significant impact on Women’s rights. Emily Murphy was a part of the “persons case”, she organized the Dower Act, Emily was a part of “The famous five”, she was the first female magistrate, and along with many other things she did in her life.

At the age of 40, when her children became independent and began their separate lives, Murphy began to actively organize women's groups where the isolated housewives could meet and discuss ideas and plan group projects. In addition to these organizations, Murphy began to speak openly and frankly about the disadvantaged and the poor living conditions that surrounded their society. Emily’s strong interest in the rights and protection of women and children intensified when she was made aware of an unjust experience of an Albertan woman whose husband sold the family farm. After the husband sold the farm, he abandoned his wife and children who were left homeless and poor. At that time, property laws did not leave the wife with any legal recourse. This case motivated Murphy to create a campaign that assured the property rights of married women called the Dower Act. With the support of many rural women, Murphy began to pressure the Alberta government to allow women to retain the rights of their land. In 1916, Murphy successfully persuaded the Alberta legislator to pass the Dower Act that would allow a woman legal rights to one third of her husband's property. Murphy's reputation as a women's rights activist was established by this first political

Many women in the 1930’s have done important, effective and positive impacts that still contribute to life today. The Great Depression caused and dominated millions of citizens who made women stronger and helped the economy build up again. One of the main women that sacrificed her whole career to do what she believed in and make a difference in many lives was Agnes Campbell Macphail. Macphail had made numerous contributions in the 1930s for fairness and equality. She was also one of the first women into Parliament. Macphail believed women have a place and right to express their own opinions. She mainly entered

Emily Stowe was without a doubt an inspirational, motivated feminist determined to make a difference in the lives of women in Canada. She was a key part of the development of our nation, and a true pioneer in the medical and political systems. 2

The result of Emily's effort was that on June 19, 1916, Judge Murphy became "first woman police magistrate in the British Empire.". In January 1921 Mrs. Murphy received a letter from a secretary of the Montreal Women's Club saying that women "here" want her in the senate. This letter encouraged Emily to fight "the question through to a finish ..." In August 27, 1927 Judge Murphy sent a letter to Ottawa "in a request by the governor-general-in- council to the Supreme Court for a ruling on the question, `Does the word Persons in Section 24 of the British North America Act 1867, include female persons?'" Section 24 was the excuse of Senators not letting a woman to be a `person' and therefore not allowing women to hold political office.

Bertha Wilson was a remarkable woman who changed the face of the Supreme Court of Canada forever. She was the first woman appointed to the Ontario Court of Appeal, the Supreme Court of Canada, and the first female partner in a major law firm. Even though she wasn’t a Chief Justice, it was a huge accomplishment for a woman to be a Puisne Justice. Bertha Wilson was chosen for my Heritage Fair topic because Bertha worked hard even when she knew that no woman had been where she had been before. This essay will explain different times in Bertha’s life and how she made her mark in the books of Great Canadian Women.

Moreover, she was able to change the way that women were regarded in Canadian society. For instance, on Emily Murphy’s second case as magistrate, a lawyer, Eardley Jackson, objected to Murphy being a judge on the grounds that she was a woman and therefore not a person under the law. Following, the Alberta Supreme Court would rule that “women could not be disqualified from holding public office on account of their sex,” and this event would prompt Murphy to begin the Persons Case. Many years later, a retired Emily Murphy attended a hearing where Jackson was now a judge, and he welcomed her to the court, declaring how she had been missed in the court rooms. This speaks to how Murphy’s actions changed the way women were viewed, and the impact she had on this period. Her influence in this time is the characteristic of someone truly great. Likewise, Emily Murphy’s most notable impact was the Persons Case of 1929. She recruited four other women to challenge Prime Minister King to appoint a female senator and clarify if women were “persons” of the law. These women, later known as the Famous Five, lost to the Supreme Court of Canada, but persevered, bringing the case to London’s Judicial Committee of the Privy Council. The Privy Council decided that women were persons under Canadian law. This victory meant that women could no longer be denied basic rights as a result of

These were five women who acted as activist and was award and recognize in Canada for making Canada a better place to live. The five incidents that involved gender inequality against women. .Constance Backhouse exposed inequalities, for women and other oppressed groups in Canada. Then, Nahanni Fontaine is a special advisor on aboriginal women's Issues for the Aboriginal Issues. Susan Kathryn Shiner highlighting women's inequality as a root cause of violence against women as an issue, as she became aware of incidents of inequality she worked for social change. Last but no leased Julie Lalonde who studied the impact of poverty and isolation on elderly women making a difference in improving the lives of women and girls to end sexual assault and

In this paper, I will discuss a number of topics regarding woman and the Supreme Court from historical precedents to objective research to the importance of female judges and Justices and finally to the possibilities of the future. Each of these steps is vital to fully understanding how we got to our country’s current place in female jurisprudence and creating future opportunities for women both on the Supreme Court and in all other levels of the judicial system across the United States.