Exam Review Long Answer Question
1. Describe how women’s roles and rights in Canada have changed over the last 100 years.
At the turn of the century (1900), the law in Canada stated that “No woman, idiot, lunatic,
or criminal shall vote”. Women were not seen as people under the law. Many jobs were
not open to women. Society expected women to marry, and stay at home, raise children
and look after the house. Single women were hired as nurses, teachers and a few other
positions. In jobs were both women and men worked, men were paid more for the same
job.
The push for equality and the vote for women began on the Prairies by women such as
Nellie McClung. She helped women in Manitoba become the first to be able to vote in
provincial elections in Canada in 1916.
WWI, opened the door for women in many ways in Canada. Men left for the war and
women were needed to fill the jobs making guns, shells and aircrafts. To help pass a
conscription bill in 1917, Prime Minister Borden’s government passed the Wartime
Elections Act that allowed some women to vote in Canadian elections for the first time.
Women who served as nurses at the front or who had husbands or sons serving could now
vote. After the war all women in Canada were given the right to vote in Canadian
elections. Agnes Macphail became the first woman MP in 1921.
In the 1920s Canada still followed British law and the British North America Act. Only
qualified persons (which were stated to be men), could be appointed Senators. The
Alberta Five, which included Emily Murphy, challenged this law all the way to the
British Privy Council and won in 1929. Women were indeed declared “Persons” under
the law. This was known as the Persons Case. Cairine Wilson became Canada’s first
female Senator in 1930.
Other firsts and accomplishments for women in Canada include Elsie MacGill being the
engineer in charge of building the fighter aircraft the Hurricane during WWII.
Hurricane
Michaëlle Jean.
Women’s rights and roles have continued to evolve to present day. Canada’s first female
Prime Minister was Kim Campbell in 1993. Our last Governor General was Michaëlle
Jean.
WWI terms
Robert Borden: Canada’s Conservative Prime Minister during WWI
Schlieffen Plan: German plan to invade France by going through neutral Belgium. It was
supposed to knock out France in 6 weeks and prevent the Germans from having to fight Russia
and France at the same time.
Vimy Ridge: a German strong hold in WWI. Canadian troops captured the Ridge from the
Germans in 1917. It was the first battle were the Canadian divisions all fought together without
the British.
Conscription: being forced to join the army and fight.
Dog fight: a name given to the battles between pilots in WWI.
No-man’s land: the area of land between the two opposing trenches. This area is not owned by
either side.
Arthur Currie: Canadian General who led the Canadian troops and carried out the plan s at Vimy
Ridge.
Billy Bishop: Canada’s top ace pilot in WWI with 72 kills.
Convoy: a group of ships crossing the ocean together for protection.
Profiteering: was when companies would try to make very high profits by overcharging the
Government for items needed for the war.
John McCrae: Canadian doctor who wrote the poem Flanders Fields while helping treat the
wounded in WWI.
Sam Hughes: Canada’s Minister of the Militia during WWI. He was in charge of recruitment and
providing the troops with weapons. He had our troops use the inferior Ross Rifle.
20s, 30s terms
Bennett Buggy
Struggle Buggy
Agnes Macphail
Tariffs
Henry Ford
Fredrick Banting
Relief Camp
Voucher
Alberta Five
A car with the engine taken out.
A car for dating
First woman elected to the Canadian House of Commons
Taxes on goods crossing the border
Produce the Model T
Canadian who Discovered insulin
Where single men could work long hours for low wages and meals
Slips of paper that could be traded in for food and necessities.
Won the Person’s case, women became persons
WWII terms
Benito Mussolini
Italian Dictator
Harry Truman
United States President that decided to drop the atom bomb
Fascists
Political System with only on party and control is in the hands of
the army
William Lyon Mackenzie King: Canadian Prime Minister during WWII
Winston Churchill
Prime Minister of Britain from 1940 for the rest of WWII
Joseph Stalin
Leader of Russia from 1929 to 1953
Dieppe
French port that Canadians attempted to invade. One half of the
men were lost
Dunkirk:
350,000 British and French forces were rescued from the French
coast by fishermen
Normandy:
The location of the D=-Day invasion to liberate Europe from Hitler
Hiroshima
The first atomic bomb was dropped on this Japanese city by the
Americans
Versailles
Treaty that ended WWI and is seen as a cause of WWII
Anti-Semitism
hatred of Jews