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Fiftieth Anniversary of Women’s Suffrage in Quebec

Series of black and white photographs of women interviewed on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of women gaining the right to vote in Quebec provincial elections. The first row contains the photographs of three women. The second row contains the photographs of two women, including one with a child in her arms.

Appartenance Mauricie Société d’histoire régionale, Le Nouvelliste Fonds (F33790). Unknown photographer.

Women’s suffrage was a fundamental goal of Canadian feminists. The right to vote in federal elections was extended to women in 1918. However, Quebec women would not be able to vote in provincial elections for many more years. The issue gained momentum and was covered extensively in newspapers across the province, particularly Le Devoir, as Henri Bourassa, the newspaper’s founder and an influential politician, was strongly opposed to it. In fact, persistent opposition ensured that Quebec would be the last Canadian province to grant women the vote—long after Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta did so in 1916. In 1944, Quebec women were finally able to vote in a provincial election.

To mark the 50^th anniversary of women’s suffrage in Quebec in 1990, Le Nouvelliste conducted a series of interviews. All the women who were interviewed spoke to the importance of this right.