In our final post of the semester, we would like to thank all of the people who have joined us on our journey of exploring women’s suffrage and women’s rights generally. We began this blog with a history of the women’s suffrage movement from as early as the 1600’s, and detailed the struggle in each Canadian province and some other select nations. The Persons Case, and the Famous Five who pursued it, were pivotal to the rights of Canadian women. Compared to other countries, Canada has been at the forefront of women’s rights in areas beyond voting, and both Canadian and Alberta Human Rights legislation has come a long way in the pursuance of equality. Yet, there are still areas where Canada struggles within the bounds of equality, such as the archetypal victim in sexual assault cases and the equal representation of women in politics. While Canada may not be perfect in the fight for equality between genders, our great country is not ignorant to the live issues and continues to move forward at a steady pace.
As always, Vice Dean Yahya has been a key source of guidance and encouragement. Without his innovative ideas and willingness to supervise Law and Social Media, we would not have had the opportunity to be a part of this type of experiential education. We are privileged to have such an exceptional and dedicated individual as the Vice Dean of our law school.
We would also like to thank all of those individuals who were willing to participate in interviews, so that we could get a professional or unique perspective in various areas. Those interviewees include Len and Suzy Rodness, Honorable Kim Campbell, Phyllis Crang and Catherine A Crang, Dr Carolyn Harris, Brittany Micalchuk, Terri Susan Zurbrigg, Patricia Paradis, Susan Reif, the Honourable Madam Justice Juliana Topolniski, and Dean Paul Paton. As well, the faculty and students who participated in our mini interview compilations this week: Professor Gail Henderson, Professor James Muir, Professor Steven Penney, Professor Barbara Billingsley, Gloria Strathern, Paul Welke, Caliena Swick, Sandy Brophy, Pavin Takhar, Michael Seed, and Afshaan Jiwaji. We would also like to thank Ryan Jesperson of 630 CHED for having us on his show, and The Gateway newspaper for interviewing us about this project.
To our supportive email list, we thank you for being willing to get daily (or more) emails from us.
And finally, to our families, friends, and colleagues, who were always eager to listen to our ideas and provide feedback (and praise – thanks mom & dad!).
For the four members of our team who have completed our formal legal education, we are excited to use what we have learned through this project in our future careers. We can’t thank our supporters enough for giving us their time. We are hopeful that our final member continues this class on next year, when (spoiler alert) there is a major anniversary for a pivotal piece of Canadian legislation.
As a final reminder from our entire group: don’t forget to celebrate Alberta’s suffrage anniversary on April 19th!
