Decreed on Paper, Cast in Bronze

This bronze sculpture of Alberta's “Famous Five”—the five women whose challenge to the Supreme Court of Canada in 1929 resulted in women being legally recognized as persons under the British North America Act—was unveiled at a ceremony 18 June, 2010. The piece was created by local sculptor Helen Lillian Granger Young at an estimated cost of $750,000 on behalf of the Nellie McClung Foundation. The women are L-R: Henrietta Muir Edwards, Emily Murphy, Irene Parlby, Louise McKinney, and Nellie McClung.
Photo by Ted McGrath of Helen Lillian Granger Young's sculpture of the Famous Five, via Flickr CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

On the west side of the Manitoba Legislative Building, there stands a monument to the “Famous Five” – five Alberta women, including former Manitoban Nellie McClung, who petitioned the courts to recognize women as “persons” – something that seems obvious to us, but which was not recognized in Canadian law until 95 years ago – on October 18, 1929. While the petitioners were not without controversy, even today, the “Persons Case” is a celebrated milestone on the long (and still incomplete) journey to gender equality.


Service Leader: Rev. Stefan Jonasson
Service Coordinator: Cate Ziegler

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