Women’s suffrage in Canada didn’t happen in one fell swoop. It began in 1870 and gradually achieved province by province, while federal voting rights were granted in 1918. Manitoba, the first province to grant women the right to vote and stand for office in 1916, was followed by Saskatchewan and Alberta, and Quebec was the last province to grant women the right to vote provincially in 1940.

However, marginalized groups continued to fight for the right to vote until 1960. Groups like Chinese, Japanese, and South Asian women, who were only granted the vote in 1948. First Nation women and men fought until 1960 to gain their right to vote. Thanks to groups like:

–        The Canadian Women’s Suffrage Association, formally inaugurated in 1883, was a key organization for the movement.

–        The Famous Five: five Alberta women instrumental in the suffrage movement.

–        The Beynon Sisters, journalists who used their writing to promote suffrage.

–        Mary Ann Shadd, a true pioneer suffragist, who used her newspaper, The Provincial Freeman, to advocate for women’s rights.

As a mother of three daughters, I believe it’s important to remember the events that have granted us the rights we have today.