CANADA HISTORY

Women Get the Vote

The suffragette movement in Canada, as in many other countries, faced significant resistance and struggled to achieve its goals for decades. It was only due to political expediency during World War I that women finally gained the right to vote at the federal level. The push for women’s suffrage was part of a broader, global movement seeking greater rights and recognition for women. While there were early victories at the provincial and municipal levels, such as Ontario granting women the right to vote in municipal elections in 1884 and Manitoba becoming the first province to allow women to vote provincially in 1916, the fight for full voting rights at the federal level was long and arduous.

The First World War dramatically altered the suffrage landscape in Canada, as it did in many other parts of the world. When the war broke out in 1914, Prime Minister Robert Borden and his Conservative government faced a monumental challenge: how to mobilize the country’s resources and people to support the war effort. As the war dragged on and casualties mounted, the need for conscription to maintain Canada’s military strength became a contentious and divisive issue, particularly along French-English lines. This political and social context set the stage for a major breakthrough in women’s suffrage, though it was motivated less by a desire for gender equality and more by political strategy.

Early Suffrage Struggles and Limited Successes

By the early 20th century, the women’s suffrage movement had gained momentum in Canada, though it faced significant opposition from traditionalists and politicians who believed that women should remain in the private sphere. The movement was part of a broader push for women's rights, including better working conditions, access to education, and legal reforms. The National Council of Women of Canada and other suffragette organizations worked tirelessly to advocate for the cause, holding rallies, distributing pamphlets, and petitioning the government. However, progress was slow, and the movement struggled to gain widespread political support.

At the provincial level, suffragettes made some headway. In Manitoba, activists like Nellie McClung were instrumental in winning women the right to vote in 1916, making Manitoba the first province in Canada to grant women the franchise. Other provinces, including Saskatchewan and Alberta, followed shortly after. However, the fight for federal voting rights was a much harder battle, as the federal government resisted these changes.

The Role of World War I in Shifting the Suffrage Debate

The turning point for women’s suffrage in Canada came during World War I, when political leaders began to view the issue through a different lens. The war had a profound impact on Canadian society, and women played an increasingly visible and vital role in the war effort. With thousands of Canadian men fighting overseas, women stepped into roles previously reserved for men, working in factories, on farms, and in offices. They also organized fundraising campaigns and took on responsibilities in war-related volunteer work. These contributions helped shift public perceptions of women’s capabilities and strengthened their claim to full citizenship rights, including the right to vote.

Prime Minister Robert Borden, initially reluctant to support women’s suffrage, began to see its potential political value as the war wore on. By 1917, the issue of conscription—forcing men to serve in the military—became a deeply divisive and polarizing topic in Canada. Borden, who had been elected in 1911 and whose government had been extended with the support of the Liberals to manage the war effort, recognized that the support for conscription was waning, particularly in Quebec, where Wilfrid Laurier and his Liberal Party opposed the policy.

In contrast, many women—especially those with sons, husbands, or brothers fighting in Europe—strongly supported conscription. They saw it as necessary to ensure victory and protect their loved ones. Borden, recognizing the opportunity, devised a political strategy to expand the electorate in his favor by enfranchising these women, knowing that they were more likely to support his government and its pro-conscription stance.

The Military Voters Act and the Limited Franchise

In a calculated move, Borden’s government passed the Military Voters Act and the Wartime Elections Act in 1917, which dramatically reshaped the electorate. The Military Voters Act granted the vote to all members of the military, including women serving as nursing sisters. The Wartime Elections Act went further by enfranchising the wives, mothers, and sisters of soldiers fighting overseas, provided they met certain qualifications. These women were expected to support conscription and thus vote for the government that had instituted it.

At the same time, the Act disenfranchised conscientious objectors and many recent immigrants from countries considered "enemy aliens," such as Germany and Austria-Hungary, who had lived in Canada for less than 15 years. This selective extension of the franchise was a clear attempt to stack the electorate in favor of Borden’s Unionist Government, which was made up of pro-conscription Conservatives and Liberal MPs who had broken with Laurier.

This political maneuvering paid off. In the December 1917 election, the Unionist Government won a sweeping victory, capturing the majority of the new women’s vote and securing seats in Ontario, the West, and the Maritimes. In Quebec, however, the Unionists were soundly defeated, winning only three of the 65 seats, as the conscription issue had deeply alienated French Canadians.

The Aftermath: Full Suffrage and Its Impact on Canadian Politics

Once the limited franchise had been extended to certain women, it became increasingly difficult to justify denying the vote to all women. In 1918, the Act to Confer the Electoral Franchise upon Women was passed, granting the right to vote in federal elections to all women over the age of 21, regardless of whether they had a personal connection to the military. This was a major victory for the suffragette movement, though it was still limited in scope. Indigenous women and women of color were largely excluded from voting rights until decades later.

The extension of the franchise to women was not merely a symbolic victory. It represented a fundamental shift in the Canadian political landscape, as women became a significant voting bloc. Women’s suffrage paved the way for the greater involvement of women in politics and public life. In 1921, Agnes Macphail became the first woman elected to the House of Commons, representing a major milestone in the fight for gender equality in Canada.

However, the road to full suffrage was not complete. While most provinces followed the federal government’s lead in granting women the right to vote, Quebec did not enfranchise women at the provincial level until 1940, a reflection of the more conservative and traditional social attitudes in the province.

The Legacy of the Suffrage Movement in Canada

The suffrage movement in Canada was a long and difficult struggle, but the breakthrough during World War I marked a turning point in Canadian history. The political expediency that led to the enfranchisement of women in 1917 may have been motivated by the immediate needs of a government seeking support for conscription, but it had far-reaching consequences for Canadian society. Women’s suffrage helped to shape the political culture of the 20th century, allowing women to play an increasingly active role in the democratic process.

The success of the movement also highlighted the complex interplay between war, politics, and social change. Women’s contributions to the war effort helped to challenge traditional gender roles, and their political activism during this time laid the groundwork for future advances in women’s rights. The passage of the Act to Confer the Electoral Franchise upon Women in 1918 was not just about the right to vote—it was about recognizing women as full citizens, capable of contributing to the nation’s political, economic, and social life.

While the Conservative government’s use of women’s suffrage during the 1917 election was undoubtedly a calculated move, it opened the door for a broader conversation about equality and justice in Canada. The suffrage movement was a critical step in the country’s ongoing evolution toward a more inclusive democracy, one that continues to grapple with issues of gender, race, and social justice.

In the years following the First World War, the legacy of the suffragette movement would inspire further progress, from the appointment of women to public office, the push for equal pay, and the eventual inclusion of women in the legal profession, medicine, and other fields previously closed to them. The right to vote was just the beginning of a larger movement for gender equality that continues to shape Canada’s history and identity today.