March 14 – It was March 14, 1916 when women attained the right to vote in Saskatchewan.
“As we prepare for the April 4 election, we celebrate today the women who worked tirelessly to ensure this right to vote,” says Dr. Michael Boda, Chief Electoral Officer of Saskatchewan.
One hundred years ago Violet Clara McNaughton, a farmer’s wife from Harris, led the Women’s Grain Growers’ Association in a successful suffrage campaign in partnership with Woman’s Christian Temperance Union and the Political Equality League.
Together they presented a petition signed by 10,000 people from every corner of our province to the Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan on Valentine’s Day in 1916. The bill granting women in Saskatchewan the right to vote in provincial elections received royal assent on March 14, 1916.
We celebrate McNaughton’s success 100 years ago today, along with those who worked alongside her. Her achievement is a legacy that improved the future of Saskatchewan.
In 1916, Saskatchewan was the second province in Canada that gave women the right to vote provincially. Women in other provinces gradually gained the right to vote in provincially, with the final provincial change in 1951.
Click here to read more about Women’s Suffrage.
Elections Saskatchewan is the province’s independent, impartial, professional election management body. Given a mandate from the Saskatchewan Legislative Assembly, it organizes, manages and oversees provincial electoral events, including the April 4, 2016 general election. Information for voters, workers, media, candidates and parties at www.elections.sk.ca.
For more information contact:
Tim Kydd
Senior Director
Communications & Outreach
Elections Saskatchewan
tim.kydd@elections.sk.ca
(306) 787-7355