Historic Women

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May 2025 - OTTAWA ON

Ottawa Famous Five

The "Women are Persons!" sculpture in Ottawa commemorates their successful 1929 "Persons Case," which ruled women were "persons" under the law and eligible for appointment to the Senate. The sculpture, created by Barbara Paterson, is located near the Senate of Canada Building on the Plaza Bridge.

The Famous Five were five Alberta women—Emily Murphy, Henrietta Muir Edwards, Nellie McClung, Louise McKinney, and Irene Parlby—who brought the "Persons Case" to legal challenge in Canada. They are famous for their successful fight to have women legally recognized as "persons" under the British North America Act, which opened the door for women to be appointed to the Senate and advanced gender equality in Canada.

There is also a Famous Five sculpture in Calgary Alberta.

Emily Murphy: A judge and activist who was the leader of the Famous Five. 

Henrietta Muir Edwards: A women's rights advocate who worked with the National Council of Women. 

Nellie McClung: A novelist, teacher, and suffragist who served in the Alberta Legislature. 

Louise McKinney: A social reformer and the first woman elected to the Alberta Legislature. 

Irene Parlby: A farmer's wife and the first female cabinet minister in Alberta. 

The Persons Case

In 1927, the five women asked the Supreme Court of Canada if women could be appointed to the Senate. 

The Supreme Court ruled that the word "person" in the British North America Act did not include women. 

Undeterred, the Famous Five appealed the decision to the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council in London, England, which was then Canada's highest court of appeal. 

On October 18, 1929, the Privy Council overturned the Supreme Court's ruling and declared that women were "persons" under the