The Persons' Case was one of the greatest Canadian Civil Rights Triumphs of all time. The case took place in 1928 and revolved around whether or not women were "persons" in the eyes of the law. Previously, regulations pertaining to "persons" only applied to men, and when the prospect of a female senator was explored, it was quickly shot down by those who believed that women were not persons. A group known as the "Famous Five": Emily Murphy, Henrietta Muir Edwards, Nellie McClung, Louise Crummy Mckinney, and Irene Parlby were responsible for petitioning the Persons' Case, in which they argued that women were persons. After losing in the Supreme Court of Canada, they took their case to the Privy Council, the highest court in the land. There, it was decided that women were, indeed, persons.
While the franchisement for women had come earlier, the Persons' Case holds a special spot as it no longer made women second class citizens. This helped create a strong, progressive-minded Canada.
A CPAC short on the Famous Five and the Persons' Case: