When studying history, it is easy for many women’s accomplishments to be overshadowed by men’s. Women in history are forgotten because they were often pushed out. However, women played a big role in shaping our Canadian history. They have given us so much, and because of them we have a lot more than they did.
These women’s names have not stood out like the men of Canadian history, but these women have made just as big of an impact on Canada and the rest of the world.
Agnes Macphail
Agnes Macphail was the first woman elected as a Member of Parliament in 1921, which also happened to be the first Canadian election that women could vote in. She was then re-elected in the next several elections until her loss in 1940. While in Parliament, Macphail often criticized militarism and imperialism, resulting in her being accused of treason and communism. She worked tirelessly to fight for rural workers and those who are disadvantaged. She advocated for women, specifically the improvement of their rights and she even changed the grounds for divorce. One of her greatest accomplishments was reforming the Canadian penal system, arguing that prisoners should be reformed and educated. Her final political success was the passage of Ontario’s equal pay legislation in 1951.
Emily Murphy
Emily Murphy is one of the earliest Canadian feminists and is most well known for her role in the Famous Five and the Person’s Case. She was prominent in the Canadian suffragette movement and was present in over 20 women’s activist groups. Her role in the Famous Five sent her on a ten yearlong campaign for women to officially be declared as persons. It wasn’t until 1929 that women were finally declared as persons under the British North American Act in part of her tireless work and effort.
Mary Two-Axe Earley
Mary was a Kanien’kehá:ka (Mohawk) elder, who was a human rights advocate supporting women and children. She spent most of her life fighting against the Indian Act and the injustices it brought Indigenous women. It was in 1879 that the Indian Act was amended and therefore removed the land and treaty rights for many Indigenous women and made Indian status determined by male lineage. It was in 1966 that Mary became more vocal in the rights of Indigenous women. She began several campaigns to raise awareness of the abuse Indigenous women faced due to the loss of their Indian status. It was in 1985, after several years of raising awareness and fighting for their rights that Mary’s work finally culminated in Bill C-31 which once again amended the Indian Act and gave some Indigenous women their status back.
Her status was reinstated in a Toronto ceremony where immediately following Mary is quoted: “Now I’ll have legal rights again. After all these years, I’ll be legally entitled to live on the reserve, to own property, die and be buried with my own people.” In 1979, Mary was awarded the Governor General’s Person’s Case Award for her contributions to the equality of women and girls in Canada. She also received several more awards over the next few decades before her passing.
These women are just a few of many that paved the way for women today. Without the efforts of these three women, and many more, we would not be where we are today. Now, one of the most important things we can do is continue to teach young women and men about the incredible Canadian women of the past who shaped the future of Canada.
To find out more about these three women check out their Canadian Encyclopedia pages that are linked below!