The Recognition of Canada’s Backbone

But the women, now aware of the potential they possessed—began to seek equality. Women’s suffrage groups became more popular, and women began flooding in during WWI. The women realized if they could do a man’s work equally, they should get the same rights as a man does. A women’s right to vote federally came slowly and was divided into three components. In 1917—The Military Voters Act allowed nurses and other women involved in the armed forces to vote. Next came the Wartime Election Act in 1919—which allowed women with fathers, sons, or husbands serving overseas to vote. The final wave allowed all the women of Canada over the age of 21 to vote was called “An Act to confer the Electoral Franchise upon Women”. Although the right to vote did not come easy to the women of Canada—many suffrage groups had to resort to extreme measures to bring attention to their cause; many women participated in hunger strikes and other activities that lead to many being arrested and jailed.