In 1997 Francis Wright of Calgary, (now President and CEO of the Famous
Five Foundation) set up a foundation to raise funds for the commissioning
and creation of monuments commemorating the success of the Famous 5 and
the Persons Case. She succeeded in her efforts and sculptor Barbara
Paterson winner of the monument contest created five individual high
bronze sculptures.
The first sculptures were unveiled in Calgary at the Olympic Plaza on
October 18th 1999 with plans underway for the second sculptures to be
unveiled on Parliament Hill in Ottawa October 18th 2000. As many of you
know only statues of Prime Ministers and Royal persons had been allowed on
the Hill but through the efforts of parliamentarians and senators an
exception was made for the Famous Five.
Last January a small notice appeared in the Ottawa Citizen newspaper
inviting interested women to a meeting of the Ottawa Committee of the
Famous Five Foundation so I decided to attend. The Ottawa Committee was
formed to assist in the arrangements for the unveiling of the statues on
Parliament Hill. Subsequent to attending the first few meetings I was
asked by Margaret Pronyk to represent BPW Canada at further meetings and
associated events.
Although as a former Manitoban I had heard about Nellie McClung many
years before it wasn't until I joined BPW Ottawa in 1979 that I became
informed about the Famous Five and the Persons Case. This came about when
one of our long time members, Sophie Steadman (as well as four other
Canadian women) received the Persons' Award in 1980. This was the second
year that the awards were given by the Governor-General and since then the
awards are presented yearly on the 18th of October. Ms. Steadman
celebrated her 105th birthday this month and is still interested in BPW
and in local and world events.
At that time I also learned that in 1938 the Canadian Federation of
Business and Professional Women's Clubs arranged for the installation of a
bronze plaque at the entrance of the Senate Chamber on Parliament Hill in
recognition of the Famous Five. I am sure that all members will feel pride
in knowing that our organization was able to show appreciation of the
tremendous accomplishments of these five courageous women in a tangible
way.
Now back to the events leading up to the unveiling of the statues on
Parliament Hill. The first event was the Famous Five tea on Sunday October
15th at the Chateau Laurier. On the 17th a breakfast was held with Chief
Justice of the Supreme Court, Beverly McLaughlin at the Museum of
Civilization, and in the evening an Interfaith Worship Celebration at
Christ Church Cathedral.
On Wednesday the 18th, the Governor General Persons Day Awards were
presented by Governor General Adrienne Clarkson at Rideau Hall to six
women this year - the sixth award given to an outstanding young woman. A
reception followed, after which we, the attendees were bused to Parliament
Hill for the unveiling of the statues presided over by the Prime Minister
of Canada, the Governor General and the Chief Justice of the Supreme
Court. Entertainment was provided prior to the unveiling. The large crowd
of citizens and dignitaries cheered as the statues were unveiled. After
the unveiling a reception for relatives of the Famous Five and volunteers
was held in a tent on the parliament grounds.
Later in the afternoon a reception was hosted by the Honourable Gildas
Molgat, Speaker of the Senate in the Hall of Honour, Parliament Buildings
for the Famous Five Foundation and guests. The evening ended with a dinner
at the Chateau Laurier for the Ottawa Committee of the Famous Five
Foundation in recognition of the work of the committee members. It was a
busy four days but a wonderful experience and I feel very lucky and
honoured to have been part of this momentous occasion which I attended on
behalf of the CFBPWC and myself.
Nellie
McClung, Emily Murphy & Irene Parlby
Background Information
In 1916 Emily Murphy was appointed magistrate of the Women's Court in
Edmonton Alberta. However her first decision was appealed by the Alberta
courts on the grounds that she was not a "person" according to the meaning
of the word in the British North America Act (BNA). Therefore under the
law she was not eligible to sit as a Magistrate. The Appeal Court of
Alberta decided that Mrs. Murphy was indeed a person but this applied only
at the provincial level.
Soon after this when women were granted the vote in federal elections
and thus eligible to sit in the House of Commons a resolution was sent to
the Federal Government by the Federated Women's Institute of Canada and
signed by representatives of eight provinces asking for the appointment of
women to the Senate, in particular Emily Murphy. The reply was that women
were not persons within the meaning of the BNA Act and were not eligible
for appointment to the Senate. At that time English common law stated that
"Women are persons in matters of pains and penalties but are not persons
in matters of rights and privileges". And so the fight began!
Emily Murphy with four other women, Henrietta Muir Edwards, Louise
McKinney, Irene Parlby and Nellie McClung instituted a campaign that took
them to the Supreme Court of Canada where their request was rejected. Not
wanting to wait for a promise by the then Minister of Justice that an
amendment to the BNA Act would be submitted, they arranged for Judge
Newton Wesley Rowell to carry their petition to the final Court of Appeal,
the Privy Council of Great Britain. The Chancellor of Great Britain
rendered the decision that in the interpretation of the Act that persons
included "women". This is now known in Canada as the Persons Case.
In 1930 Carine Wilson became the first woman Senate but Emily Murphy
was never named to the Senate.
Who were these women?
- Emily Murphy (1868-1933) Social reformer, author, first female
magistrate in the British Empire (Commonwealth) and the leader of the
Famous Five.
- Louise McKinney (1868-1931) First woman in the British Empire
(Commonwealth) to be elected by both men and women to a provincial
legislature, Alberta.
- Henrietta Muir Edwards (1849-1931) Social activist, author, Convenor
of Laws for the National Council of Women.
- Irene Parlby (1868-1965) First female Cabinet Minister in Alberta,
second in the British Empire (Commonwealth), first president of the
Alberta Farm Women's Association.
- Nellie McClung (1873-1951) prominent suffragist, author, orator, and
first female member of the Board of Directors of the Canadian Broadcasting
Corporation.
(This information is from the book "With Enthusiasm &
Faith" and the Famous Five Foundation literature).
Kathy Laing & the Plaque
Remembering the Past
