History of Women's Suffrage in Canada

Early Voting in Canada

• Initially, voting was a privilege, not a right.
• Affluent men and women who owned property could vote.
• Post-Confederation (1867), all women were excluded by law.

Opposition to Women's Suffrage

• 1880s-1890s: Women's suffrage seen as contrary to biblical teachings.
• 1893: A member of the Ontario legislature used scripture to argue against women's suffrage.

Efforts for Women's Suffrage

• 1905-1916: Annual bills for women's suffrage in Ontario met with laughter and scorn.
• Ontario Premier James Whitney (1911) considered suffrage a matter of evolution, not to be hurried.

Women Leading the Movement

• Prairies were a hotspot for suffrage activity.
• Nelly McClung, a prominent leader, teacher, and author, advocated for women's voting rights.
• 1914: McClung staged a satirical play reversing gender roles, gaining public support.

Legislative Successes

• 1915: Manitoba passed legislation for women's voting rights, followed by Saskatchewan and Alberta.
• 1917: Women's suffrage triumphs in Ontario and British Columbia.

Federal Level Changes

• World War I shifted focus to conscription and elections.
• Prime Minister Robert Borden's government introduced laws benefiting women in voting rights:
  • Military nurses and female relatives of servicemen were given federal voting rights.
• December 1917: Borden reelected, praised women’s contribution.
• 1918: Federal law passed providing voting rights for women, with conditions similar to men.

Resistance and Compromise

• Quebec liberals opposed the bill, citing traditional roles for women.
• Borden amended the bill to require women meet the same criteria as men.

Further Developments

• 1920: Dominion Elections Act allowed women to vote regardless of provincial rights, but excluded many groups:
  • Immigrants of Asian origin, certain religious groups, Inuit, and Aboriginal peoples.

Full Suffrage Achievement

• 1960: Voting became a right for all, irrespective of gender or origin, marking the end of the struggle.