Situated on the west grounds of the Manitoba Legislative Building in Winnipeg is an artwork depicting a meeting of women, known as the “Famous Five”. They are gathered around a table signing a petition.
Best known of the five is Nellie McClung, a Manitoban who for years worked to bring about peaceful social change, and succeeded. In January 1916 she helped Manitoba women become the first in Canada to win the right to vote. She also helped influence the 1929 decision wherein Canadian women were recognized as “persons” under The British North America Act. The signing of a petition for this legislation is the scene portrayed in this monument.
While she was born in Ontario, Nellie moved to Manitoba in 1880 and began her writing and speaking career here. She married Wesley McClung and raised five children. She was a successful author, one of Canada’s first female writers, having published 16 books.
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