The Matron’s Movement of Manitoba

[T]he  determination of Canadian women can be testified by one of the earliest developments for women’s suffrage in Canada at this time - the Act to amend The Manitoba Election Act . Women’s rights organizations such as the Political Equality League of Manitoba (PEL) took a stand when presented with opportunity for gender­ role reform. The PEL stood with conviction, as Nellie McClung, member of the PEL bravely stated : “Women’s suffrage was in the tide.” The work of these women was met with universal praise from man and woman alike but also disdain by others. These Manitoban women had made great headway towards gaining their right to vote on January 28, 1916. This accomplishment forged a new movement for other prairie provinces, and eventually, the rest of Canada’s women to seek out their rights and fight for the futures of not just their daughters, but also of their sons. Nellie McClung’s leadership, the PEL’s integrity, and the evolving roles of women in the workforce due to the Great War accumulated into a grand success not just for Manitoba, but for all of Canada, as the feminist movement began to spread country­wide in the years to come.
 
The Matron’s Movement of Manitoba

Anujan Mathisekaran

Grade 10

Markville Secondary School
Markham, Ontario

By looking to the past, we can analyze judgement in order to better the decisions we make now and in the future.

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