Tribute to the Canadian Women Who Fought for the Right to Vote

Canadian Heritage has funded several activities organized to mark the 100^th anniversary of women’s right to vote in Canada.

• Equal Voice ($470,000) will offer a host of activities to highlight the progress achieved over the last 100 years in women’s access to leadership positions. The activities include women’s leadership workshops, a two-day national forum for young women from across Canada, and “Daughters of the Vote” (a women’s representation project).
• The Girls Action Foundation ($259,400) will organize a skills training program for young women and a photo exhibition about outstanding women in Canadian history.
• The Association de la presse francophone ($190,800) printed a special insert in French and English, distributed in the publications of its members as well as the members of the Quebec Community Newspaper Association. The insert highlighted the 100^th anniversary of women’s right to vote in 2016, with a special focus on outstanding French-Canadian women who, through their commitment, changed the status of women.
• Teach Magazine ($150,000) will create an interactive and bilingual digital educational resource in association with school programs. Designed for teachers and students, the resource will explore the barriers and challenges faced by women who fought for the right to vote, as well as their successes. It is intended for students in grades 6 to 12 and could be used by 3 million students and more than 100,000 teachers.
• Historica Canada ($100,690) is developing a series of education guides for classroom use that profile the events that laid the foundations for today’s Canada. The guides will be distributed to 7,000 schools across Canada. The programs will provide a basis for understanding foundational events in Canadian history that are marking anniversaries in 2016, including the 100^th anniversary of women’s first right to vote.
• The Mouvement des intervenants et intervenantes communautaires en radio de l’Ontario (MICRO) ($75,000) will present a series of 25 French-language radio spots explaining the role of Canadian women in the country’s economic and social development, as well as in decision making, including the right to vote.
• The Victoria County Historical Society ($250,000) is presenting an exhibition about the 100^th anniversary of women’s first right to vote in Canada and its impact on women’s role in Canadian history. Through costumed interpreters and interactive elements, Their Votes Counted tells the story of the women who led local and national suffrage movements, and of those who found themselves in the thick of the action in the wake of these social changes. Their Votes Counted will be presented in several locations, including the Sunnybrook Veterans Centre in Toronto, and in Ottawa (in partnership with the Canadian Nurses Association).
• The offices of the lieutenant governors of Manitoba, Alberta and Saskatchewan also organized different activities to commemorate the 100^th anniversary of women’s right to vote in these provinces (on January 28 in Manitoba, March 14 in Saskatchewan and April 19 in Alberta). To find out more, visit the websites of these provinces’ lieutenant governors (see Associated Links).