Women’s Suffrage and the Struggle for Democracy

Series editor: Veronica Strong-Boag

The story of women’s struggles and victories in the pursuit of political equality is not just a matter of the past: it has the value of informing current debate about the health of democracy in our country.

This series of short, insightful books presents a history of the vote, with vivid accounts of famous and unsung suffragists and overdue explanations of why some women were banned from the ballot box until the 1940s and 1960s. More than a celebration of women’s achievements in the political realm, this series provides deeper understanding of Canadian society and politics, serving as a well-timed reminder never to take political rights for granted.

“UBC Press’ series on the history of women’s political participation is a powerful reminder that greater inclusion in our democracy is not a foregone conclusion. Yet as the lessons from these books reveal, politics can and will change when citizens engage, organize and advocate — a truth as applicable today as it was decades ago.”

– Jane Hilderman, Executive Director, Samara Canada

Showing 1-6 of 6 items.

We Shall Persist

Women and the Vote in the Atlantic Provinces

UBC Press

We Shall Persist is the first book to detail the distinctive political contexts and common problems that characterized campaigns for women’s suffrage and other rights in Atlantic Canada.

  • Copyright year: 2023
More info

Ours by Every Law of Right and Justice

Women and the Vote in the Prairie Provinces

UBC Press

This long-overdue account of the suffrage campaigns in the first region to grant women the vote in Canada shatters cherished myths about how the West was won.

  • Copyright year: 2020
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A Great Revolutionary Wave

Women and the Vote in British Columbia

UBC Press

The first book on the woman’s suffrage movement in British Columbia, A Great Revolutionary Wave traces the history of the fight for the vote from the 1870s to the 1940s against a backdrop of social reform, international social movements, labour politics, and settler colonialism.

  • Copyright year: 2020
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To Be Equals in Our Own Country

Women and the Vote in Quebec

UBC Press

To Be Equals in Our Own Country chronicles the bitter struggle for women’s suffrage in Quebec, the last province to grant Canadian women this fundamental human right.

  • Copyright year: 2019
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Our Voices Must Be Heard

Women and the Vote in Ontario

UBC Press

Our Voices Must Be Heard examines the ideals and failings of Ontario’s suffrage history, its daring supporters and thunderous enemies, and its blind spots on matters of race and class.

  • Copyright year: 2018
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One Hundred Years of Struggle

The History of Women and the Vote in Canada

UBC Press

Acclaimed historian Joan Sangster celebrates the 100th anniversary of Canadian women getting the federal vote with a look at the real struggles women faced, depending on their race, class, and location in the nation, in their fight for equality.

  • Copyright year: 2018
More info
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