Votes for Women

Canadian women began to organize to secure the right to vote in federal and provincial elections as early as the 1870s, but it was not until the turn of the century that the movement really began to gather force. In western Canada the idea attracted influential supporters like the Grain Growers' Guide, which argued that as partners "in the arduous work of making homes on the prairies," farm wives should enjoy political equality. The United Farmers of Alberta also supported woman suffrage, as did most prohibitionists.

The movement in Alberta was led by remarkable women, including Nellie McClung, Henrietta Muir Edwards, Louise McKinney, and Emily Murphy. They argued that this reform was a matter of simple justice. Finally, on April 19, 1916, Alberta joined Manitoba and Saskatchewan as the first Canadian provinces to grant women the vote in provincial elections.