The Nellie McClung Foundation

       Nellie McClung was known for wearing many hats from the time span of 1873-1951. She was a teacher, politician, speaker, mother of five and a wife who resided in Canada. She grew up on her family farm until the farm was unable to support the family and they moved to Manitoba where McClung's changes began to root. She had six years of former education and learned to read at the age of nine. From beginning to teach at the age of sixteen, she began devoting herself to being an activist. She began focusing on alcohol abuse and then devoted herself to women's suffrage, the right of women to vote. She toured many provinces in Canada and even the United Sates of America. Her changes began in Manitoba and quickly spread. She was known as a driving force in Canadian politics (The Nellie McClung Foundation). 

          McClung is most known for involvement in the women's suffrage movement. However, she was also well known in the labour movement and her views on alcohol abuse. She was a founding member of the Political Equity League. The P.E.L. is known for showing the dangers of allowing men the right to vote through the Women's Parliament at the Walker Theatre in Winnipeg. She was well known for her humor and it was clear with this production. The presentation was a role reversal of men not having the right to vote and was seen as entertaining and highly effective. Two years later, on January 28, 1916, the province Manitoba became the first to grant women the right to vote. Saskatchewan quickly followed. Later in her lifetime, she also campaigned for the rights of Aboriginal and Asian Women. She accomplished a lot of this by being not only a writer and giving speeches, but also through publishing sixteen books. One of her speeches has been published as one of Canada's greatest speeches.

("NELLIE MCCLUNG CANADIAN SOCIAL REFORMER" 2017)

        Another great accomplishment McClung was involved with was questioning the word "person" in regards to who could run for Senate. While the legislation uses the word "person", the Canadian Supreme Court decided that women were not included in the word "person". The Judicial Committee of the Privy Council in England, Canada's highest court of appeal at the time, determined that the word "person" in regards to who could run for Senate was both men and women. Later on, Nellie McClung became acknowledged as an honorary member of the Senate for her efforts with this specific issue. She opened the political door for women to enter into politics. Now, twenty-five percent of Canada's senate is composed of women. 

                                                       Destinations

While her efforts are most known from the women's suffrage movement and women running for Senate, she also focused on the well being of school children, property rights for married women, mothers' allowances, factory safety legislation, womens' rights in divorce and several other issues. Her family home that was lived in by her husband and five children from 1904-1911 is located at The Archibald Museum. Along with a log cabin described in one of her books, Clearing in the West, while living in Manitoba. She was born in Ontario, moved to Manitoba as a child and then eventually to Alberta. While her changes were focused to Manitoba, Saskatchewan and then Alberta, they quickly became national. 

Works Cited:
“About Nellie McClung – The Nellie McClung Foundation.” The Nellie McClung Foundation,                          www.ournellie.com/learn/about-nellie/.

“Destinations.” Trail Canada, www.trailcanada.com/destinations/.

“NELLIE MCCLUNG CANADIAN SOCIAL REFORMER.” YouTube, 21 Apr. 2017, youtu.be/b3cwWyoQQcY.

“Nellie McClung on Women and the Vote, January 1914.” Great Canadian Speeches, 4 May 2018, greatcanadianspeeches.ca/2017/04/20/nellie-mcclung/.

Senate. “Senate of Canada - Senators List.” Drugs and Drug Policy in Canada, sencanada.ca/en/senators-list/.