Why Did Women Get The Vote 1916-1919
Women get the vote 1916-1919
Women's suffrage groups had existed since the 1870s, but during the war it was hard to ignore their arguments. Women were serving in the war, taking over from the men in factories and offices, holding families together while the men were overseas, and working in voluntary organizations that supported the war effort. They couldn't be kept out of political life any longer.
Women got the federal vote in three stages: the Military Voters Act of 1917 allowed nurses and women in the armed services to vote; the Wartime Election Act extended the vote to women who had husbands, sons or fathers serving overseas; and all women over 21 were allowed to vote as of January 1, 1919. Provincially, women were given the vote in 1916 in the four western provinces, in 1917 in Ontario, in 1918 in Nova Scotia, in 1919 in New Brunswick, in 1922 in …show more content…
In 1914, Canada did not need conscription, as enough men volunteered for service overseas. But, by 1917, the war’s unexpected length, the high number of casualties and labour shortages, especially on the farms, had contributed to Canada’s inability to maintain a volunteer army. Conscription was popular among English Canadians, who generally supported the war because they believed that Canada had to keep fighting until victory. French Canadians, in general, opposed conscription because they believed the war was unnecessary. The divisive issue led to an election on December 17, 1917, in which the Union government, composed of both Conservatives and Liberals dedicated to fighting the war and to conscription, received a clear majority of 153 seats in the House of Commons to the Liberals’ 82. The Union government’s victory allowed it to impose conscription and fill the ranks of the army at the expense of alienating French Canadians, who felt betrayed by a political system that would always impose the will of a majority on a
Women's suffrage groups had existed since the 1870s, but during the war it was hard to ignore their arguments. Women were serving in the war, taking over from the men in factories and offices, holding families together while the men were overseas, and working in voluntary organizations that supported the war effort. They couldn't be kept out of political life any longer.
Women got the federal vote in three stages: the Military Voters Act of 1917 allowed nurses and women in the armed services to vote; the Wartime Election Act extended the vote to women who had husbands, sons or fathers serving overseas; and all women over 21 were allowed to vote as of January 1, 1919. Provincially, women were given the vote in 1916 in the four western provinces, in 1917 in Ontario, in 1918 in Nova Scotia, in 1919 in New Brunswick, in 1922 in …show more content…
In 1914, Canada did not need conscription, as enough men volunteered for service overseas. But, by 1917, the war’s unexpected length, the high number of casualties and labour shortages, especially on the farms, had contributed to Canada’s inability to maintain a volunteer army. Conscription was popular among English Canadians, who generally supported the war because they believed that Canada had to keep fighting until victory. French Canadians, in general, opposed conscription because they believed the war was unnecessary. The divisive issue led to an election on December 17, 1917, in which the Union government, composed of both Conservatives and Liberals dedicated to fighting the war and to conscription, received a clear majority of 153 seats in the House of Commons to the Liberals’ 82. The Union government’s victory allowed it to impose conscription and fill the ranks of the army at the expense of alienating French Canadians, who felt betrayed by a political system that would always impose the will of a majority on a