The Famous Five Memorial

On August 27^th, 1927, a group of five Canadian women dared to ask the question, “Does the word ‘Persons’ in Section 24 of the British North America Act, 1867, include female persons?” to the Supreme Court of Canada. The point of asking the question was to discover if women could also run for Senate, because up until that point no woman had succeeded. On April 24^th, 1928, the Supreme Court of Canada gave its unanimous decision on the grounds that women were not qualified to do the job: No. But that answer would not stop these women from demanding a reconsideration by the Supreme Court since the act was created in 1867 and the role of women had changed a great deal since that time. Their determination led to the “Persons Case” in which The Lord Chancellor Viscount Sanky ruled that women should be included as eligible to be members of the Senate. The ruling was officially handed down on October 18^th, 1929 and influenced the rights of women in Canada for many years following.

On October 18^th, 2000, the 71^st anniversary of the court ruling in favor for these women, a memorial was erected by the work of the Famous Five Foundation which has raised funds for many years for women’s rights. The memorial site, named The Famous Five (or Valiant Five), was unveiled on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, the capital of Canada. This specific site is significant because the capital is a universal place of political importance, and this case had a large impact on the politics of the country. Another interesting note is that until The Famous Five monument, the only other monuments built on this site were of prime ministers, fathers of the confederation, or monarchs. This location is also available to anyone to visit and observe the monument because it is built outside in a park area where other monuments are standing as well. The monument itself is of the five women who worked hard to petition the Supreme Court of Canada to allow women to have equal political rights as men. This memorial remembers their efforts and hard work and the incredible impact they have had on the generations that followed them.

 

The monument is made up of five statues cast in bronze, created by Barbara Paterson. The particular scene captures the moment when the five women discovered that their hard work had paid off: women were declared as eligible persons under the law and could be accepted into the Senate. The five women include Nellie McClung, Emily Murphy, Henrietta Muir Edwards, Louise McKinney, and Irene Parlby. Each woman was intelligent and women’s rights activists. They are pictured in the monument as coming together to drink tea and discuss women’s rights because that is what they spent most of their lives doing. Although none of these women were actually elected into Senate, on October 8^th, 2009, these women were named honorary senators to Canada and celebrated for the great change they brought to Canada. October 18^th is now known as “Person’s Day” in Canada in remembrance of their efforts and victory.

 
This monument is representational because it depicts the women realistically as bronze statues. The statement it makes is one of victory and impact—the hard work of these women is remembered because it changed the future for women in Canada but also had an impact on women across the world who learned of their gain of equal rights politically. The statues can be examined up close and reflected on easily because the women are captured in a moment of action and triumph. Onlookers may feel a sense of respect for these women and appreciation for what they have done in Canada. This monument is a memorial for these women because it remembers what they did and doesn’t halfway accept the changed they fought for. They are praised for questioning the norm and not accepting no as an answer. It is not placed in an obscure location where it won’t be appreciated; it is on Parliament Hill, a very political place that once rejected what these women demanded but eventually conceded when they proved their point. Their memorial not only appreciated what these women did, but inspires others to be like them and also stand up for what they believe. If it wasn’t for their determination, who knows how long it would’ve been before women received the rights that they deserved?

Works referred to:
http://www.heroines.ca/celebrate/statuepersons1.html
http://www.ncwc.ca/aboutUs_five.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Valiant_Five

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persons_Case