A voice for equality
One hundred years ago, a little girl named Ellen was born in Hamilton, Ontario. This was a time when only men were elected to represent Canadians in the House of Commons in Ottawa. You can bet that Ellen thought this was unfair. She was 16 when the first woman was elected to Parliament, an event that certainly impressed her. When she was older, Ellen ran for Parliament too. She was elected, and in 1957 Ellen Fairclough became the first woman to serve the federal government as a cabinet minister.
The cabinet is made up of members of Parliament chosen by the Prime Minister to help run the government and make laws. Ellen Fairclough served in cabinet from 1957 until 1963. She worked hard, especially to find ways of making Canada equally fair to men and women.
When Ellen died last year at the age of 99, Canada had become a far more equal society. This year, Canada Post recognized her part in that achievement with a domestic rate (50¢) stamp issued on June 21, the day Ellen Fairclough became Canada’s first woman cabinet minister. |
