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

  • The Suffering for Suffrage

    The Suffering for Suffrage

    Harry Chen

    Markham, Ontario

    I believe women's rights are still an issue today and suffrage was the beginning of the great feminist movement that still occurs today.

  • How Women Won the Vote in Manitoba

    How Women Won the Vote in Manitoba

    Jess Muir

    West Vancouver, British Columbia

    As a youth, I couldn't vote in the recent election. I chose this topic to see how people in a different era felt about being unable to vote.

 
View all essays