From the CBC:
http://archives.cbc.ca/politics/rights_freedoms/clips/1801/
Women become persons
Broadcast Date: June 11, 1938On this day in 1929, women are finally declared "persons" under Canadian law. The historic legal victory is due to the persistence of five Alberta women — Emily Murphy, Nellie McClung, Irene Parlby, Louise McKinney and Henrietta Muir Edwards. The battle started in 1916. From Murphy's very first day as a judge, lawyers had challenged her rulings because she is not a "person" under Canadian law. By 1927, the women have garnered support all across Canada. They petition the nation's Supreme Court. After five weeks of debate, the appeal is unanimously denied. Shocked, the women take the fight to the Privy Council of the British government; in those days Canada's highest court. On Oct. 18, 1929, they win. In this CBC Radio clip from June 11, 1938, Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King unveils a plaque commemorating the women activists in what became known as the "Persons Case." Nellie McClung, one of the only two surviving of the "Famous Five," speaks of the historic struggle. National Archives photo, June 11, 1938: Rt. Hon. W.L. Mackenzie King and guests unveil a plaque commemorating the women. [Front, L-R]: Mrs. Muir Edwards, daughter-in-law of Henrietta Muir Edwards; Mrs. J.C. Kenwood, daughter of Judge Emily Murphy; Hon. W.L. Mackenzie King; Mrs. Nellie McClung. [Rear, L-R]: Senators Iva Campbell Fallis, Cairine Wilson.
