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Persons Case

In 1927, Emily Murphy, Henrietta Muir Edwards, Louise McKinney, Irene Parlby, and Nellie McClung (known together as the Famous 5) persuaded Prime Minister MacKenzie King to ask the Canadian Supreme Court to clearly define the word “persons” under the British North America Act of 1867. At this time women were not considered to be “persons” under the constitution. When the Canadian court rejected (said no) their argument on April 24, 1928, the Famous 5 asked the Government of Canada to appeal to the Judicial Committee of the British Privy Council. There the Famous 5 won, and on October 18, 1929, Canadian women were legally declared “persons”. Their fight to gain this recognition for women became known as the ‘Persons’ Case.

Gazette Article

Gazette Article