Topic – Women Voting in Canada

Women Voting in Canada

Canadian nurses voting in1917

Did you know Canadian women still might not have the right to vote if it were not for the nurses who risked their lives in World War I? Canadian women began to insist on the right to vote around 1910. Their demand to vote resulted in riots, arrests, and prison time for some women. Then, in the 1917 election, Prime Minister Robert Borden wanted to make sure his government would be elected. At the time, many men were fighting for Canada in the World War. As a result, the required drafting of men into the armed forces became a very important issue in the election. Prime Minister Borden thought the best way to guarantee winning the election would be by giving the right to vote to women who were nurses serving overseas. He also gave the right to vote to the wives, mothers, and sisters of servicemen. As a result, Prime Minister Borden won the election! People also began to realize that women had the right to have a say in their government.

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