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Before the Great War
Women had few rights and faced a lot of discriminations in the academic world. The traditional role of women is to get married, reproduce, and take care of their husband and children. Other than nursing and teaching, most middle class and working class women worked as homemakers. -
Women's role in World War I
Women’s major occupations were altered. Women participated at the battle front as nurses, firefighters, radio technicians, and drivers. At home, women worked in men’s positions on farms and factories. -
End of World War I
Due women’s contributions in the war and effective lobbying by suffragettes, (individuals that promote equality between males and females), many provinces across Canada gave women the right to vote and hold office. -
Gpvernment regulation
Parliament passed a regulation that prevented married women from holding jobs in the government. marriage = no job in government -
Agnes Macphail
Agnes Macphail became the first female member in the House of Commons. However, at this point, women were still not allowed to be apart of the Senate, because they were not considered “persons”. * Canadian law was not interpreted to protects minortiy rights. -
The Famous Five
The Famous Five: Nellie McClung (equal pay for equal work; first female executive at CBC), Emily Murphy (First female judge), Irene Parlby (first female Cabinet member), and Henrietta Muir Edwards (advocated mother’s allowance), and Louise McKinney (temperance movement: banning of alcohol) emerged. They demanded Parliament to define the term “person” in the British North America Act, 1867, Canada’s former constitution. -
Supreme Court ruling
Supreme Court of Canada ruled that “person” refers to male members only. -
Privy Council ruling
The Famous FIve appealed the case to The Judicial Committee of the Privy Council, the court that could overrule decisions in the Supreme Court of Canada, in Britain. -
Women are persons!
Privy Council ruled that women should also be regarded as “persons”. -
Bill of Rights
Prime Minister John Diefenbaker passed the Canadian Bill of Rights, which aids in protecting the rights of women. -
Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms
: Prime Minister Pierre Elliot Trudeau introduced the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms to reinforce human rights. [The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms is significant because a charter is above a law, and any law that violates equality rights in the charter would be unconstitutional. Drawing connection back to 1921when Canadian laws were interpreted to eliminate equality between male and female, the charter prevents this from happening. ] -
First appointed female premier
Rita Johnson of British Columbia became the first appointed female premier. -
Catherine Callbeck
became the first elected female premier. -
Kim Campbell
Kim Campbell sworn in as the first female prime minister in Canada.
