Every October 18, we celebrate five courageous and determined women who achieved a milestone for women across Canada. Those women, now known as The Famous 5, successfully argued that women should be considered persons under the law in Canada.
Along with so many other women, who had for years worked to win the right for women to vote, Nellie McClung, Irene Parlby, Louise McKinney, Emily Murphy and Henrietta Muir Edwards opened the door for women to be recognized as persons. This recognition gave women the right to be appointed to the Senate of Canada and paved the way for women's increased participation in public and political life.
UFA has always benefitted from and promoted the critical role that women have played in the economic, social and political development of Alberta. Two of the Famous 5, Irene Parlby and Louise McKinney, were instrumental during the early years of UFA’s history. These two leaders went on to become the first women elected to a legislature in the British Empire and Parlby was the first woman appointed to the provincial cabinet.
The Famous 5 not only won the right for women to serve in the Senate, but also helped pave the way for women to participate equally in all aspects of life in Canada. Thanks to courageous women like these, history was written, and today and every day, we look back with gratitude as we celebrate and honour them on Persons Day. For more on the Persons Case and the Famous5 we encourage you to visit the United Farmers Historical Society's blog.
In honour of Persons Day, UFA is donating $1,000 to the Prosperity Project. The charitable organization was founded to mitigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Canadian women who are being disproportionately affected. The Project is pan-Canadian in scope and fills an important need to explicitly link women and prosperity, underscoring the economic importance of gender equality during the pandemic pre-recovery, recovery, and post-recovery. For more information about the Project or to see how you can get involved visit Home - The Prosperity Project (canadianprosperityproject.ca).
