Prairie provinces led Canada in granting women the vote in 1916

Women in Saskatchewan, Alberta and Manitoba were the first in Canada to gain the right to vote, marking a major step forward for women’s rights in the country.

Women in Saskatchewan, Alberta and Manitoba were the first in Canada to gain the right to vote in 1916. This publication from the National Woman Suffrage Publishing Company Inc. outlines the early progress of the suffrage movement in Canada. HISTORIC SASKATCHEWAN

The Prairie provinces granted women the right to vote in 1916, several years before most other parts of Canada followed suit. The milestone is documented in a publication by the National Woman Suffrage Publishing Company Inc., which outlined the progress of the suffrage movement across the country.

The Prairie victories helped spark similar reforms elsewhere. Between 1917 and 1925, other provinces gradually extended voting rights to women. Quebec was the last province to do so, finally granting women the right to vote in provincial elections in 1940.

The early success of the suffrage movement on the Prairies is often credited to strong grassroots organizing and the determination of women who pushed for political equality during a period of significant social change.