International Women’s Day falls on March 8th each year, providing an opportunity to reflect on how far women’s rights have come since the birth of Feminist Movements. Throughout history, women have used the law as a tool to advance their positions and rights in society. The following is a timeline of some of these achievements in Canadian women’s rights – some of the years these achievements occurred may surprise you!
1884 – Married women gained the right to own property in Ontario.
1897 – Clara Martin became the first female lawyer in Canada’s and the British Empire’s history, with her admittance to the Law Society of Upper Canada.
1900 – Married women gained the right to own property in Manitoba.
1916 – Women gained the right to vote in the provinces of Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta.
1916 – Emily Murphy became the first woman appointed to the bench in the British Commonwealth with her appointment to the magistrate by the Alberta Government.
1917 – Louise McKinney and Roberta MacAdams Price became the first women elected to legislature in Canada and the British Empire.
1917 – Women gained the right to vote in the provinces of Ontario and British Columbia.
1918 – Women gained the right to vote federally.
1921 – Agnes Macphail became the first woman elected to Canada’s House of Commons.
1922 – Women gained the right to vote in Newfoundland, Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick.
1922 – Married women gained the right to own property in Alberta.
1930 – Cairine Reay became the first woman appointed to the Senate of Canada.
1940 – Women gained the right to vote in Quebec.
1960 – First Nations women gained the right to vote.
1964 – Married women gained the right to own property in Quebec.
1964 – Canadian women gained the right to open a bank account without their husband’s signature.
1969 – Rejane Laberge-Colas became the first woman appointed as a judge to the Superior Court of Justice with her appointment in Quebec.
1979 – Nellie J. Cournoyea became the first woman to serve as premier of a territory and the first Indigenous woman to lead a provincial or territorial government in Canada, with her election as premier of Northwest Territories.
1981 – Women’s equality rights were enshrined in the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
1982 – Madame Justice Bertha Wilson became the first woman to be appointed to the Supreme Court of Canada.
1983 – Jeanne Sauve became the first woman to serve as Governor General of Canada.
1993 – Kim Campbell became the first female Prime Minister of Canada.
2000 – Former Chief Justice Beverley McLachlin became the first female chief justice of the Supreme Court of Canada.
2015 – The federal government announced the first gender-balanced Cabinet in Canadian history.
Reflecting on the various achievements Canadian women have experienced throughout history not only provides an opportunity to see how far women have come but also provides inspiration to support Feminist Movements and see how far women can still go. This International Women’s Day, be sure to look into local events happening in your area and ways that you can support Feminist Movements. As stated by Emily Murphy, “I believe that never was a country better adapted to produce a great race of women than this Canada of ours, nor a race of women better adapted to make a great country.”
