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Women
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Alberta had many firsts in the
development of women's rights and played an important
role in accepting the equality of women in Canada. Some
of the best examples include Annie Jackson, who became
the first woman police constable in Canada when she
joined the police force in Edmonton, and Emily Murphy,
who became a magistrate in 1913, making her the first
woman in the British Empire to hold such an office.
Until 1929, Canadian women were
considered by law to be "non-persons" and were
ineligible to be appointed to the Senate. British Common
Law stated they were "persons in the matter of pains and
penalties, but not in the matter of rights and
privileges." With this they had no opportunity to
participate in politics at any level.
Five women, Louise McKinney,
Nellie McClung, Irene Parlby, Louise McKinney, and Emily
Murphy, became known as the Famous 5 when they worked
together to change the situation of women in Canada.
They formed community organizations like the United Farm
Women of Alberta and the Woman’s Christian Temperance
Union to give women a voice in common issues of the day,
such as prohibition, female suffrage, and matrimonial
property law.
In 1927, the Famous 5 persuaded Prime
Minister King to ask the Canadian Supreme Court to
clarify the word "persons" under the British North
America Act. When the Canadian court rejected their
argument in 1928, the Government of Canada appealed to
the Judicial Committee of the British Privy Council,
where they won their case in 1929. Canadian women were
legally declared "persons" and eligible for appointment
to the Senate.
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