The Famous Five: The Woman's Case

Since the 19th Century, women in Canada have fought political, legal, and social battles to find their place in Canadian society. From starting out in small, local organizations, to legal battles in the Supreme Court, Canadian women have come a long way. Unfortunately, it took a long time for many people to adapt to the changing roles of women, which made women still feel unequal compared to men. It is really striking to think that at one point society questioned if women could even be considered persons, just a small sample of the many changes women had to face through the course of history. This paper will analyze these changes experienced by Canadian women in that time period and how it affected their everyday lives.

The Famous Five are prominent people in Canadian history and they have established many of our rights. The Famous Five consists of Emily Murphy, Henrietta Edwards, Nellie McClung, Louise McKinney, and Irene Parbly. They are most

Women were also allowed to get educations and go into teaching and nursing positions. The Person’s Case was another highlight which demonstrates the advancements of women’s right in Canadian history. This case included five women who ultimately help transform the way women were seen. Emily Murphy played a significant role in establishing women’s rights which led to women being called “persons” in matters of rights and privileges. Furthermore, another female Canadian named Nellie McClung helped in getting the right to vote for women. Ultimately resulting in the May 24th, 1918 Act allowing all women 21 years of age or more in Canada the official right to vote even if they did not have the provincial license. The war brought many changes to Canada and around the world. Women were finally being recognized for their efforts and perseverance and acquiring new freedoms and improved rights for themselves. During the 1920’s, women became more involved in society and continued to participate in the work force. Women continued to make half the earning men were making at that time but by 1929 women made up about 20% of the workforce. The Women’s Labour League worked to defend women workers and the labour movement. They exposed shortfalls in the minimum wage laws and fought for equal pay, maternity care and a women right for birth control. Women were finally making their mark in government. By 1939,

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,

This group included Irene Parlby, Louis McKinney, Nellie McClung, Henrietta Muir Edwards, and Emily Murphy. They were five women that fought for their rights. They all had very powerful voices in Women’s rights. They stood up for what they believed in, and made a difference in Women’s rights. Their first case as a group was very successful.

On October 18, 1927, the Minister of Justice submitted a report to the Governor General of Canada regarding a petition submitted by Henrietta Muir Edwards, Nellie McClung, Louise McKinney, Emily Murphy and Irene Parlby. Together, these female Canadians were called the Famous 5. The Famous 5's petition requested the Governor General to make the Supreme Court of Canada consider whether women were eligible to become Senators under the British North America Act. The petition, written in letter form by Emily Murphy, asked the following question to the Supreme Court: “Does the ‘Person’ in section 24 of the British North American Act, 1867, include female persons?” Section 24 of the British North American Act, 1867, states that “The Governor General shall… summon qualified Persons to the Senate… every Person so summoned shall become and be a Member of the Senate and a Senator”. Emily Murphy also asked the Court, in the same letter, if there “Is power vested in the Governor-General of Canada, or the Parliament of Canada, or either of them, to appoint a female to the Senate of Canada?” Unfortunately, the Court responded that the term “Persons” was synonymous to only males. However, the Famous 5 appealed to the Privy Council of England, which in 1929 reversed the Court’s decision. The Persons Case opened the Senate to women, enabling Emily Murphy to be

Emily Murphy along with four other women, more commonly referred to as The Famous Five, presented their case in front of the Supreme Court of Canada, to get women declared as persons too. Unfortunately, they lost the case, but they still did not lose hope. They then presented their case in front of His Majesty’s Privy Council in London. Finally, on October 18th 1929, the verdict was announced and was in the favour of the Famous Five.2 This case was a huge victory for women living all around Canada, since it helped them be viewed in a different perspective. Women were now finally recognized as individuals. Winning the Person's Case is a huge step towards reaching a level of true equality and evidently this case could not have been won without the support, hard work and dedication provided by Emily Murphy.

These influential women are most widely known suffragist of their generation and has become icons of the women suffrage movement. These independent, bold, and intelligent female pioneers paved the way for so many women different races, and nationalities to come together as one for a common cause. These women are known today as idols, icons, and activists. Those women that took a stand when no one else would be: Susan B. Anthony, Alice Paul, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and Lucy Stone. These women believed that all American women, just like men, deserve the rights and responsibilities of citizenship.

Emily Murphy: Canadian Women's Rights Activist It was only in this century that women in Canada had equal rights as men. But this would never happen if women themselves would not start fighting for their rights. One of these women was Emily Murphy and her greatest achievement, Emily proved that women are `persons' and therefore they have the right to work in any 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.

The role of women has changed greatly since the First World War because women's rights groups all over the world fought to improve their role in the society. Women's role in the Canadian society has improved since the war years because of events such as the Person's Case, the Women's Rights Movement, and the glass ceiling. The Person's Case was lead by the "Famous Five" who petitioned to make women "persons" in court because, in this era, women were not considered persons in court. This case was led by Judge Emily Murphy, the group included Henrietta Muir Edwards, Nellie McClung, Louise Crummy McKinney and Irene Parlby. The law that stated that women were not persons was called The British North America Act (Canada's constitution at the time).

Women’s Rights was and still is a major issue throughout the entire world, but more specifically, in the United States of America. Women have been treated unjustly for awhile. From being beaten by their husbands, to not being able to own property if they were married, women have been through it all. Many of these situations started to change because of a group of women that decided to stand up for what they believe in. A few activists that helped improve the rights of women are Susan B. Anthony, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and Lucretia Mott.

Throughout history, Canada’s identity has changed in many ways and there have been many historical events that have greatly shaped and impacted Canada’s history and identity. The Women’s Movement and women’s contribution in the past and throughout history has had the greatest impact on shaping Canada into what it is today. Among many identifying qualities like being multicultural, bilingual, and world leaders, Canada is also country that has changed immensely in the way of becoming a country that has learned to accept women, move towards providing them with equal opportunities and treating them equally. Through economic, social and political movements and actions, the contribution from women and the women’s movement have increased, changed and improved women’s rights and equality greatly. Women worked to create independence and equality economically through their contributions to war on the homefront in WWI resulting in greater workplace equality, socially through the actions of the Flappers in the 1920’s giving women currently, the confidence and strength that they need to speak up, and politically, through the work of the Suffragists including the Famous 5 to allow women to have the same political rights as men.

Women being able to vote was a huge step forward for Canadian women, but even though they could run for certain political positions, they could not be Senators. During the early twentieth century women were not legally considered “persons” and could not be Senators (Women become Persons). This act of exclusion portrayed Canada as an immature nation. A milestone with significant importance occurred in the Persons Case. The first constitution of Canada was the BNA Act (British North America Act). In this constitution it referred to a group of people as “persons” but when one individual was referenced they used the word ‘he”. The constitution restricted women from holding public office. (History Canadian resources book) The act declared that “women are persons in matters of pain and penalties, but are not persons in matters of rights and privileges.” Therefore, women could be given the same penalties as men for breaking a law, but could not receive the same basic benefits that men could. Unfair legalities like this proves that Canada was