Library and Archives Canada hosted a celebratory commemorative event on Jan. 28 to mark the 100th anniversary of the first vote for women in Canada.
Female residents of Manitoba were the first in the country to win the right to vote at the provincial level in 1916, which resulted in other provinces following suit and obtaining the vote federally in 1918.
Titled “100 Years in the Struggle for Women’s Rights: Where Are We Now?,” the LAC panel discussion was a partnership event with the University of Ottawa.
The guest speakers were the Minister of Status of Women Patty Hajdu and U of O professors Caroline Andrew and Stéphanie Gaudet.
“We are trying to expand the visibility of our collection and the issues that are important to Canadians, building on our history, looking towards our future by identifying topics of interests,” said Library and Archives spokesperson Renee Harden.
The purpose of the event was to demonstrate the importance of history in Canadians’ lives, said Harden.
According to Harden, about 75 people attended the event.
The public should learn more about the the efforts of the women who fought for their rights in the past, said Hajdu, a newly elected Liberal MP from Thunder Bay, Ont., where she has worked as the head of a homeless shelter and director of a drug-awareness program.
“When you think 100 years ago that women were arguing that they have the intellectual capacity to make a tough decision, and we got from that to having women’s participation in politics,” said Hajdu. “And most recently, gender parity in the cabinet. It’s important for people to understand that those changes didn’t come easily. That women fought for those changes and they continue to push for changes.”
Provincially, Manitoba won the first right to vote for women and the victory was championed by the “Famous Five,” most notably by Nellie McClung.
In 1917, some women got to vote federally for the first time during the First World War, under the Military Voters Act and the Wartime Elections Act.
Event moderator Ruby Heap, a history professor and associate vice-president, research at the U of O, said the event was held a part of a ground-breaking partnership between the university and LAC, laid out in a memorandum of understanding signed last year by Librarian and Archivist of Canada Guy Berthiaume and U of O president Allan Rock.
Heap said the partnership is the first of its kind in Canada, with the aim of leveraging both institutions’ resources to organize events.
“We wanted to take advantage of the (2015) election and the appointment of the minister and also the anniversary of women’s vote in Manitoba, to focus on women and gender equality and the place of women in politics,” said Heap.
In her speech, Hajdu stressed the importance of empowerment for increasing participation of women in all sectors of society.
“Empowerment means more than just having the right to vote and run for office. It’s about knowing your rights. It’s expected that you have the right to live free from violence. It’s knowing that you have access to education. It’s getting involved in your community and becoming financially independent,” said Hajdu.
“Empowerment is having the tools you need to make better choices for yourself and your family, and it’s essential for gender equality.”
Along with organizing the panel of speakers, LAC also displayed portraits of women who have made significant contributions to furthering women’s rights, including McClung, Agnes Macphail, Canada’s first female MP, Thérèse Casgrain, leader of Quebec’s suffragette movement and later a senator, Cairine Wilson, Canada’s first female senator, Adrienne Clarkson, Canada’s first Chinese Canadian Governor General and many more.
According to Harden, the portraits are part of a broader exhibition project called “Let Them Howl: 100 Years in the Women’s Rights Struggle,” coordinated by LAC and the Canadian Museum for Human Rights in Winnipeg.
Portraits of the notable Canadian leaders in women’s rights were unveiled along the Rideau Canal Skateway on Jan. 28, under the Bank Street Bridge, said Harden.
Skaters will be able to view the outdoor exhibition throughout the skating season.