The Famous Five or The Valiant Five were five Canadian women who in 1927 asked the Supreme Court of Canada to answer the question, "Does the word 'Persons' in section 24 of the British North America Act, 1867, include female persons?" in the case Edwards v. Canada (Attorney General). Country to "Dominion of Canada" or "Canadian Federation" or anything else please read the Talk Page The Supreme Court of Canada ( French: Cour suprême du Canada) is the highest court of Canada and is the final court of appeal in the Canadian Edwards v Canada (Attorney General AC 124 &ndash also known as the Persons Case &ndash is a famous Canadian and British constitutional Canada's Supreme Court summarized its unanimous decision in the last line of the judgement as follows: "Understood to mean 'Are women eligible for appointment to the Senate of Canada,' the question is answered in the negative. " This judgement was overturned by the British Judicial Committee of the Privy Council. The Judicial Committee of the Privy Council is one of the highest courts in the United Kingdom, established by the Judicial Committee Act 1833 This case, which came to be known as the Persons Case, had important ramifications not just for women's rights but also because in overturning the case, the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council engendered a radical change in the Canadian judicial approach to the Canadian constitution, an approach that has come to be known as the "Living Tree" doctrine. Edwards v Canada (Attorney General AC 124 &ndash also known as the Persons Case &ndash is a famous Canadian and British constitutional
The five women, all of whom were from Alberta, were:
- Emily Murphy (the British Empire's first female judge);
- Irene Marryat Parlby (farm women's leader, activist and first female Cabinet minister in Alberta);
- Nellie Mooney McClung (a famous suffragist and member of the Alberta legislature);
- Louise Crummy McKinney (the first woman elected to the Legislative Assembly of Alberta, or any legislature in Canada or the British Empire) and
- Henrietta Muir Edwards (an advocate for working women and a founding member of the Victorian Order of Nurses). Parliament Hill (colloquially The Hill, French Colline du Parlement) is a scenic location on the southern banks of the Ottawa River in downtown Ottawa (ˈɒtəwə or sometimes /ˈɒtəwɑː/ is the Capital of Canada and the country's fourth largest municipality. Alberta (ælˈbɝtə is one of Canada's prairie provinces. It became a province on September 1 1905 Emily Murphy ( March 14 1868 - October 17 1933) was a Canadian Women's rights Activist. The British Empire was the largest empire in history and for over a century was the foremost global power. Irene Parlby ( January 9, 1868 &ndash July 12, 1965) was a Canadian farm women's leader activist and politician A minister or a secretary is a Politician who holds significant public office in a national or regional Government. Nellie McClung, born Nellie Letitia Mooney ( October 20 1873 - September 1 1951) was a Canadian feminist, politician Suffrage (from the Latin suffragium, meaning "voting tablet" and figuratively "right to vote" probably from suffrago "hough" and originally Louise McKinney ( September 22, 1868 - July 10, 1931) born Louise Crummey, was the first Woman sworn in to the The Legislative Assembly of Alberta is one of two components of the Legislature of Alberta, the other being the Lieutenant-Governor of Alberta. Henrietta Mair Edwards ( December 18, 1849 &ndash November 10, 1931) was a Canadian women’s rights activist and reformer The Victorian Order of Nurses ( VON) is a Non-profit Charitable organization founded in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada on
Along with Thérèse Casgrain, the Five have been commemorated on Canada's newest fifty-dollar bill. Marie Thérèse Forget Casgrain CC, OBE, LLD ( July 10, 1896 &ndash November 3, 1981) was a Feminist The Canadian $50 bill is a banknote of the Canadian dollar. It is sometimes dispensed by ATMs, but not as commonly as the $20 bill.
The Valiant Five have also been commemorated with a statue on Canada's Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Canada, a plaque in the antechamber of Canada's Senate and at the Olympic Plaza in Calgary, located in the women's home province of Alberta. Parliament Hill (colloquially The Hill, French Colline du Parlement) is a scenic location on the southern banks of the Ottawa River in downtown Ottawa (ˈɒtəwə or sometimes /ˈɒtəwɑː/ is the Capital of Canada and the country's fourth largest municipality. Calgary (ˈkælgəriː is the largest city in the Province of Alberta, Canada Alberta (ælˈbɝtə is one of Canada's prairie provinces. It became a province on September 1 1905 The City of Edmonton has named five parks in its River Valley Parks System in honour of the "Famous Five". Edmonton (ˈɛdmɨntɨn is the capital of the Canadian province of Alberta.
Opinions on the Valiant Five vary considerably. Many laud them as trailblazers for women. Others are disturbed by the opinions of some of the women on other issues, such as non-white immigration and their successful campaigns to have eugenics legislation introduced in Canadian provinces. Eugenics is a social Philosophy which advocates the improvement of Human Hereditary traits through various forms of intervention Some might well question the overall significance of the decision, noting that by the 1920s, the Canadian Senate was a largely powerless body. The more powerful Canadian House of Commons had elected its first female member (Agnes Macphail) in 1921, well before the Persons Case. The House of Commons (Chambre des communes is a component of the Parliament of Canada, along with the Sovereign (represented by the Governor General) and Agnes Campbell Macphail (March 24 1890 &ndash February 13 1954 was the first woman to be elected to the Canadian House of Commons, and one of the first two women elected However, the precedent did establish the principle that women could hold any political office in Canada. Moreover, the Five clearly did devote their energies to increasing women's participation on legislative bodies with greater power: two became members of the Alberta Legislature and one a member of the House of Commons. The House of Commons (Chambre des communes is a component of the Parliament of Canada, along with the Sovereign (represented by the Governor General) and
See also
External links
- The Famous Five from the National Archives of Canada
- Edwards v. A.G. of Canada [1928] S.C.R. 276 - decision of the Supreme Court of Canada
- Edwards v. A.G. of Canada [1930] A.C. 124 (P.C.) - decision of the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council
- Canadian Enclyclopedia entry
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