Women win the right to vote in federal elections

May 24, 2017

Ballot Box

Ballot Box. Canadian Museum of History, 987.19.10

May 24, 1918

On May 24, 1918, women were granted suffrage, or the right to vote, in federal elections. This historic step followed a limited victory, in 1917, which allowed women who were immediate family of soldiers overseas to vote federally. The groundwork for these advances had been laid in four decades of persistent campaigning and public education by women’s suffrage champions such as the Women’s Christian Temperance Union and Ontario physician Dr. Emily Howard Stowe.

Each day for 150 days leading up to the opening of the Canadian History Hall, we’re presenting one moment among the many that have shaped our country. Discover more of Canada’s significant historical events in the new Canadian History Hall, opening July 1, 2017.