The story of the Famous 5 and of The ‘Persons’ Case is a case study in transformational leadership.

THE TREK

It's the story of five ordinary women, born in the mid-nineteenth century, who joined the trek west with their families to frontier Canada. Each had a history of advocacy on behalf of women and children. All were prominent suffragists. When they arrived in Alberta, each had already had significant victories in her own particular areas of activism.

They arrived on fertile soil where grassroots reform movements flourished. The women of the frontier who had arrived before them had contributed their own labour to building homesteads alongside their husbands. The Famous Five extended this pioneer spirit, taking female influence further, into a larger sphere of community and politics.

In the face of prejudice and opposition, they built alliances with other women’s organizations and brilliantly communicated their vision for a society where women could participate in public service equally with men. They refused to take no for an answer—even when turned down by the Supreme Court of Canada.

PINK TEAS

When women were campaigning for the right to vote and the right to seek elected office, in the early 1900s their suffrage meetings were frequently disrupted by angry opponents. Many women were forbidden by their husbands and fathers to attend these meetings, and others simply did not have the confidence to do so because of the strong, chaotic opposition.

Pink Teas were developed as a subversive way for women to gather and discuss various issues of importance, including suffrage. Only women were invited, and frilly decorations and many pink doilies and ribbons festooned the tea tables. If opposition appeared, the organizer would simply change the subject.

WOMEN OF ACHIEVEMENT

December 1999 - Canada Post celebrated the Famous 5 as part of their Millennium Collection, Social Progress with this remarkable postage stamp for Women’s Rights.

“Tireless dedication to equal rights spurred five Alberta women to victory in a historic court ruling that recognized women as qualified for Senate appointments, thereby paving the way for Canada’s first female senator in 1930.”