Canadian Feminists: "The first woman to _____"

When we first started discussing this blog, the subject of Canadian feminists came up several times. We had trouble naming even a handful of women that were seen as pioneers for women's rights, especially in recent times.

Having studied various feminist scholars, I am aware of the influence that American movements have on Canada. An inspiring PhD student instructed a class on Racism in Canada at my university and he was thoughtful about including Canadian authors in the syllabus. I sincerely appreciate the effort he put into that syllabus; it has been one of the main resources I use not only for critical theories on race, but for specifically Canadian thinkers.

I hope to use this blog to bring some of the awesome Canadian women to light and discuss their impact on feminism, politics and social justice in our country and abroad. One challenge we faced initially was finding Canadian women that specifically worked for a feminist or social justice cause rather than being "the first woman to ______." But those women are important to recognize, so I'll start this "series" by reviewing some pioneering women in Canada's history (with the much-needed assistance of Wikipedia). Do any of these "firsts" surprise you?

35 Notable Firsts for Canadian Women

Notes:

i. I recognize that feminism is a fluid term and my definition of feminism is shaped by my place in time. But, these women were pioneers and embodied some feminist qualities, like equality, all the same.

ii. Most Canadians descended from immigrant families; a lot of these women immigrated to Canada from another region (e.g. Europe, the US, or the Caribbean)

iii. Many people and many accomplishments were excluded because they didn't fit my narrow methodological requirement of being "first" but if you're curious you should learn more about famous Canadian women and let me know in the comments how many awesome women I missed!

1. Founder of first hospital in North America (1645) & co-founder of the City of Montreal (1642): Jeanne Mance

2. First female police officer in Canada (1800s, in Nova Scotia) : Rose Fortune

Rose Fortune was born into slavery in the US in 1774
via The Canadian Encyclopedia

3. First woman to receive a Bachelor's degree in the British Empire from Mount Allison University (1875): Grace Annie Lockhart

4. First Canadian woman nuclear physicist & First woman to receive a Master's degree at McGill University (1901): Harriet Brooks

5. First female surgeon in Canada (1911): Dr. Jennie Smillie Robertson

6. First woman elected to the House of Commons (1921): Agnes Macphail

Agnes Campbell Macphail c. 1922
via The Agnes Macphail Website

7. First licensed Canadian female pilot (1928) & first Canadian woman to parachute into water: Eileen Vollick

8. First Canadian woman to earn a degree in aeronautical engineering (1927) & first North American woman to earn a Master's in aeronautical engineering (1929) & first woman elected to corporate membership in the Engineering Institute of Canada (1938) & first woman ever to chair a UN Committee (1947, Stress Analysis Committee) & world's first female aircraft designer: Elsie MacGill, OC

Elizabeth "Elsie" MacGill, OC
via glockoma

9. First female Canadian Senator (1930) & First female delegate for Canada to the United Nation General Assembly (1949): The Honourable Cairine Wilson

10. Medical director of Canada's first birth control clinic (1932-1966): Dr. Elizabeth Bagshaw, CM

11. First woman promoted to rank of colonel in Canadian Army (1940-1944): Colonel Elizabeth Lawrie Smellie, RN, CBE

12. First female member of the Canadian Cabinet (1957) & First female Acting Prime Minister (for one day in 1958): The Right Honourable Ellen Fairclough, PC, CC, O.Ont

13. Canada's first woman ambassador (1958): Margaret Meagher, OC

Margaret Meagher (right) was Canadian Ambassador to Israel in 1959
via Wikipedia

14. First Canadian woman to jump over 6 metres in the long jump competition (1960s): Joan Hendry

15. First woman to seek leadership of a major political party (PC) in Canada (1967): Mary Walker-Sawka

16. First female publisher of children's books (1967) & First female mayor of Westmount, Quebec (1987-1991): May Cutler

17. First Canadian female solo singer to reach #1 on US charts and to earn a Gold record for "Snowbird" (1970) & First woman and first Canadian to win "Album of the Year" at the Country Music Association Awards (1984) & First woman to score a hole-in-one on the 108-yrd, par 3, 17th hole of the Kaluhyat Golf Club, NY (2003): Anne Murray, CC, ONS

18. First black Canadian woman elected to to Canadian provincial legislature (1972-1986 in BC) & First black woman to seek leadership of a major political party (NDP) in Canada (1975, second woman, after Mary Walker-Sawka): Rosemary Brown, PC, OC, OBC

19. First female Lieutenant Governor of Ontario & First female viceregal representative in Canadian history (1974-1980): The Honourable Pauline McGibbon, CC, O.Ont

20. First woman and first Canadian to compete in both the Summer and Winter Olympic Games in the same year (1976): Sue Holloway

Susan "Sue" Holloway competing at the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal
via Library and Archives Canada

21. First Aboriginal woman to earn a law degree in Canada (1976) & First woman appointed as Ontario Ombudsman (1989-1999) & First non-Parliamentarian appointed ex officio to a House of Commons committee: Roberta Jamieson, CM, LL.B, LL.D

Roberta Jamieson, CM, LL.B, LL.D
via Native Journal

22. First Governor General in Canada's history (1984-1990) & First Quebec woman cabinet minister & First female Speaker of the House & established first daycare for Parliament Hill: The Right Honourable Jeanne Sauvé, PC, CC, CMM, CD 

23. First black person appointed to the Canadian Senate (1984): The Honourable Anne Cools

24. First female black mayor in North America (1984): Daurene Lewis, CM

Dr. Daurene Lewis, CM
via Black History Society

25. First woman and first Canadian to win the National Cartoonists Society's Reuben Award (1985): Lynn Johnston, CM, OM

via www.fborfw.com

 26. First North American woman to reach the summit of Mount Everest (1986): Sharon Wood

27. First black woman to serve as a cabinet minister in Canada (1990): Zanana Akande

28. First woman and only woman to play in an NHL exhibition hockey game (1992): Manon Rhéaume

29. First Canadian female astronaut & First neurologist in space (1992): Roberta Bondar, OC, O.Ont, FRCP(C), FRSC

Roberta Bondar, OC, O.Ont, FRCP(C), FRSC
via famouscanadians.net

30.  First and only female Prime Minister of Canada (1993): The Right Honourable Kim Campbell, PC, CC, QC

31. First visible minority and first Chinese Canadian to be appointed Governor General (1999-2005): The Right Honourable Adrienne Clarkson, PC, CC, CMM, COM, CD, FRSC(hon), FRAIC(hon), FRCPSC(hon)

The Right Honourable Adrienne Clarkson, PC, CC, CMM, COM, CD
via http://adrienneclarkson.com/

32. First female Chief Justice of Canada (2000): The Right Honourable Beverley McLachlin, PC, CStJ, MA, LLB

33. First Jewish woman and youngest judge to sit on the Canadian Supreme Court Bench (2004) & youngest and first pregnant judge in Canadian history (1976): The Honourable Rosalie Abella, FRSC

The Honourable Madam Justice Rosalie Silberman Abella
via Supreme Court of Canada

34. First Muslim woman elected as a Member of Parliament (2004): Yasmin Ratansi

35. First black woman to serve as a viceroy and first person of Caribbean descent to be appointed Governor General (2005-2010): The Right Honourable Michaëlle Jean, CC, CMM, COM, CD, FRCPSC(hon)



Researching this topic helped me realize that there are so many women, from a variety of backgrounds, that have shaped Canadian history and there is so much I don't know about them.

Check back to find out more about the history of women in Canada and an introduction to more contemporary feminists in our nation.