Artifact 8: The Unionist Party

This poster showcases the Unionist Party advertising the fact that women have received the right to vote. The enfranchisement of women occurred through the passing of the Wartime Elections Act of 1917. This act gave the right to vote to women who had relatives that were Canadian soldiers. This was the first federal legislation that gave Canadian women the right to vote in federal elections. Borden’s government is clearly important because it is the first instance of women being allowed to vote in federal elections and slowly led to the total enfranchisement of women that we know today. The act was made specifically to raise support for the Unionist and Conservative Party because they believed that by enfranchising women related to soldiers, they would essentially be growing their support. This ended up being the case and the support for the Conservative Party and Unionist Party grew which allowed for them to end up with a solid majority in the 1917 election. Most Canadians at the time supported the war effort and the conscription of forces therefore this poster allowed women to know that they were able to vote. This poster is important because it highlights the Borden government’s ability to progress social rights, even if it was within their own interest, and allowed for the Canadian legacy in The Great War to be enshrined as a result of the conscription of troops.

Bibliography:

English, J. (2021). Wartime Elections Act. In The Canadian Encyclopedia. Retrieved from https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/wartime-elections-act