Nellie McClung was one of the “Famous Five” who asked the Supreme Court of Canada to legally recognize women as persons under the British North America Act. The Supreme Court ruled against the petitioners but in 1929, the British Privy Council overturned the court’s decision, effectively declaring women to have the legal rights of “persons,” thereby making them eligible to vote and run for office.
Lee Harding is a research associate with the Frontier Centre for Public Policy.
