Artifact #4: National Council of Women of Canada

Citation: William James Topley, National Council of Women at Rideau Hall, Ottawa, Ontario, October 1898. Library and Archives Canada http://central.bac-lac.gc.ca/.redirect?app=fonandcol&id=3366134&lang=eng

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On October 27, 1898, over 1500 women came together to form The National Council of Women of Canada (NCWC). Lady Ishbel Aberdeen created the NCWC, the overall goal of the NCWC was to counter Conservative-Liberal partisanship and to have a committee that could communicate for women for the common good. Women lacked the right to vote and have a say in all political matters. The NCWC hoped to become a “parliament of women,” a council in which women’s views could be presented and debated on both a federal and provincial level. The NCWC tried to not be as “feminist” until the 1910s when the organization began to publicly fight for the right of women's suffrage and women's rights. such as the Victorian Order of Nurses, and children’s aid societies, It has also supported government agencies such as Labour Canada’s Women’s Bureau and Status of Women Canada. The NCWC is still a driving force in addressing issues women still face in the 21st century.

Bibliography:

Strong-Boag, Veronica. “Women’s Suffrage in Canada.” The Canadian Encyclopedia, June 21, 2016. https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/suffrage.

Strong-Boag, Veronica, and Diane Macdonald. “National Council of Women of Canada.” The Canadian Encyclopedia, February 7, 2006. https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/national-council-of-women-of-canada.