Pushor Mitchell acknowledges today as Persons Day, an annual celebration in Canada held on October 18th in support of women and gender equality.
This day marks the exact date in 1929 when the historic decision was made by Canada’s highest court of appeal to include women in the legal definition of “persons”, known as The Persons Case – Edwards v. Canada (Attorney General).
The decision gave women the right to be appointed to the Senate of Canada and paved the way for women’s increased participation in public and political life. Though this decision did not include all women, such as Indigenous women and women of Asian heritage and descent, it did mark critical progress in the advancement of gender equality in Canada.