The Persons Case Study

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The Persons Case Affects Canada A single moment that defines a country is hard to pinpoint, because single individuals or single events do not, in my opinion, write history. A series of events and a chain of outcomes is what shape a nation. There is a moment that to me stands out among many as a time in history that shaped many things to come and changed our country drastically, the persons case. A defining moment in time was the infamous persons case, the success of the case in 1929 brought new hope to women, allowed women to run for public office, and paved the way for not only many influential female politicians (like the 68 currently in office) but also paved the way for many movements including the women’s rights movement in the…show more content…
When in 1927 the Canadian Supreme court decided that the term “persons” used in Section 24 of the British North America Act did not include women. The Canadian Court Up stipulated that the term "person" did not apply to women, alleging that when the British North America Act was signed, jurisprudence did not consider women as "qualified persons." If the Constitution had included women in this definition, it would have been duly noted. Before this point, although women had the right to vote in many provinces they were not legally recognized as people and they did absolutely lose any rights they may have had once married. The Famous 5 appealed the ruling in front of the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council of London, which reversed the verdict of the Supreme Court of Canada. The Privy Council said that the term "person" was ambiguous and that if Parliament had wanted to exclude women from the term "person," it should have said so. And so it came to pass that in 1929, women acquired the right to exercise official functions, to attend university, and to practice a liberal trade. After this women were legally recognized as persons, obviously long overdue and this now allowed women the right to run for federal office and receive all the rights of a men. This was…show more content…
The Famous Five continue to be recognized today with their faces of the back of a recent fifty dollar bill and with a plaque in Canada’s Senate Chamber that reads “To further the cause of womankind these five outstanding pioneer women caused steps to be taken resulting in the recognition by the Privy Council of women as persons eligible for appointment to the Senate of Canada." Indeed these were pioneers for the women’s rights movement and participated in a moment that would ultimately define Canadian history. Bibliography: "Are Women Persons? The "Persons" Case - The Archivist - Publications - Library and Archives Canada." Canadian Archives. 25 May 2009 <http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/publications/archivist-magazine/015002-2100-e.html>. "The Famous Five - The Persons Case." AlbertaSource Websites. 25 May 2009 <http://www.abheritage.ca/famous5/achievements/persons_case.html>. "The Persons Case." Historica. 25 May 2009
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