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Created in 2000, this monument is a tribute the Famous Five: Irene Parlby, Louise McKinney, Nellie McClung, Emily Murphy and Henrietta Muir Edwards, all from Alberta.
The memorial was moved from the east lawn on Parliament Hill to the plaza next to the temporary location of the Senate of Canada.
The Persons Case (Edwards v. A.G. of Canada) was a constitutional ruling that established the right of women to be appointed to the Senate. The case was initiated by the Famous Five, a group of prominent women activists. In 1928, the Supreme Court of Canada ruled that women were not “persons” according to the British North America Act (now called the Constitution Act, 1867). Therefore, they were ineligible for appointment to the Senate. However, the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council reversed the Court’s decision on 18 October 1929. The Persons Case enabled women to work for change in both the House of Commons and the Senate. It also meant that women could no longer be denied rights based on a narrow interpretation of the law.
In May 1918, the majority of Canadian women over the age of 21 became eligible to vote in federal elections.
Women of non-white backgrounds often encountered racial barriers to voting. Indigenous peoples – the Inuit, First Nations, Métis and Black women gained the right to vote at different times in Canadian history. Federal election laws excluded the Inuit from voting until the 1950s. First Nations women did not receive the right to vote until 1960. The Métis could vote in federal and provincial elections if they met voter qualifications, such as age and ownership of property.