Women’s Suffrage in the Canadian Prairies

The struggle for Women's suffrage in Canada began in the prairies where women, foremostly in Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta, were the first in Canada to legally cast their ballots. Their triumph served as a victory over many years of turbulence. Reluctance of the public to accept change, predisposed stereotypes, and abnegations from the government, all hampered the suffrage movement. Their success was a result of three factors. The battle for prohibition consolidated women around a common goal, World War One allowed an opportunity for women to display their keen aptitude, and judicious strategies to gain support from the public all bolstered the odds in the women's favor.
Women’s Suffrage in the Canadian Prairies

Etienne De Jongh

Grade 11

Hillltop High School
Whitecourt, Alberta

It is important to recognize the struggles that our nation has overcome in order for us to fully appreciate what we now enjoy so fully.

Related Essays

  • Western Canada: Paving the Way Towards Equality

    Western Canada: Paving the Way Towards Equality

    Susan O'Brien

    Corner Brook, Newfoundland and Labrador

    I am from Eastern Canada, before writing this essay I knew little about the variation between provinces when it came to the provincial vote.

  • The War Waged by Women

    The War Waged by Women

    Dylan Crosby

    Regina, Saskatchewan

    My favourite time in Canadian history is the period during the First World War. A lot was going on in terms of reform and growth. 

 
View all essays