Elections

This subsection contains material on the involvement of women as voters, candidates, and elected representatives in electoral processes at all levels of government. Items also address feminist critiques and campaigns around party platforms and issues during an election, as well as efforts encouraging women to vote.

Archival Materials

Buttons

A lawyer and social activist, Barbara Hall provided legal aid for gay men arrested in the Operation Soap bathhouse raids and ran for the New Democratic Party in the 1985 Ontario election, losing to Liberal Ian Scott. Later that year, she won a seat on Toronto City Council and in 1994 was elected as Mayor of the pre-amalgamation City of Toronto. During her tenure, she was the first mayor of Toronto to march in the Pride Parade. In 1997, she lost the election to be first Mayor of the new mega-city to Mel Lastman. In 2005, she became head of the Ontario Human Rights Commission.
Barbara Hall – Mayor for all the people

  • Year created:

    1994

  • Region:

    Ontario

  • Language:

    English
A lawyer and social activist, Barbara Hall was elected as Mayor of the pre-amalgamation City of Toronto in 1994, but in 1997, lost the election to Mel Lastman, the first Mayor of the new mega-city.
Barbara Hall: Mayor ~ for the City

  • Year created:

    --

  • Region:

    Ontario

  • Language:

    English
This a button to elect Winnie Ng, a long-time labour, anti-racist, and social justice activist running in 1993 for the federal New Democratic Party in the Toronto riding Trinity Spadina.
Elect Winnie Ng – Trinity Spadina Federal NDP

  • Year created:

    1993

  • Region:

    Ontario

  • Language:

    English
Kay Macpherson, the well-known feminist, pacifist, and political activist, ran as a New Democratic Party candidate in several federal elections.
Kay MacPherson – NDP

  • Year created:

    --

  • Region:

    Ontario

  • Language:

    English
Lynn McDonald

  • Year created:

    1984

  • Region:

    Ontario

  • Language:

    English
The Ms. for M.P button supported a push to elect more women into government.
Ms. for M.P.

  • Year created:

    --

  • Region:

    National (all of Canada)

  • Language:

    English
Rosemary Brown became the first Black woman in a provincial legislature when she ran for the NDP and was elected to represent Vancouver-Burrard in British Columbia in 1972. In 1975 she ran for the federal leadership of the NDP against Ed Broadbent, coming in a close second.
Rosemary Brown – NDP leader

  • Year created:

    1975

  • Region:

    British Columbia

  • Language:

    English
The New Democrats: Judy Rebick

  • Year created:

    1987

  • Region:

    Ontario

  • Language:

    English
The New Democrats: Re-Elect Frances Lankin

  • Year created:

    1995

  • Region:

    Ontario

  • Language:

    English
The Ontario Advisory Council on Women's Issues/Conseil consultatif de l'Ontario sur la condition féminine produced this undated button to highlight the importance of women voting.
What if every woman votes….Si toutes les femmes votaient..

  • Year created:

    --

  • Region:

    Ontario

  • Language:

    English and French
The National Action Committee on the Status of Women (NAC) organized a strong campaign in the 1988 federal election that highlighted the importance of the free trade issue to women's equality and urged women to vote.
Women Vote – National Action Committee on the Status of Women

  • Year created:

    1988

  • Region:

    National (all of Canada)

  • Language:

    English
Wright for Mayor 88′- Let’s Cut Poverty at its Roots

  • Year created:

    1988

  • Region:

    Ontario

  • Language:

    English

Documents
A Voters Guide to Child Care in BC

  • Year created:

    --

  • Region:

    British Columbia

  • Language:

    English
Are These Your Stories?

  • Year created:

    1991

  • Region:

    Ontario

  • Language:

    English
Issues & Campaigns (1980): NAC Election Kit – Questions for Candidates

  • Year created:

    1980

  • Region:

    National (all of Canada)

  • Language:

    English
Issues & Campaigns (1984): Historic Leaders’ Debate on Women’s Issues

  • Year created:

    1984

  • Author(s):

    Doris Anderson

  • Region:

    National (all of Canada)

  • Language:

    English
Issues & Campaigns (1988): Response to Leaders’ Debate – Media Release

  • Year created:

    1988

  • Author(s):

    Lynn Kaye

  • Region:

    National (all of Canada)

  • Language:

    English
Issues & Campaigns (1988): Women Vote! What every woman needs to know about Free Trade

  • Year created:

    1988

  • Region:

    National (all of Canada)

  • Language:

    English
Issues and Campaigns (1993): Equality is the Bottom Line – Federal Election

  • Year created:

    1993

  • Region:

    National (all of Canada)

  • Language:

    English
One Good Issue, One Good Leader/Celle qui sert, celle qui mène

  • Year created:

    1990

  • Region:

    National (all of Canada)

  • Language:

    English and French
Shocking Pink Paper – Promises are not enough (1993)

  • Year created:

    1993

  • Region:

    National (all of Canada)

  • Language:

    English and French
Shocking Pink Paper – Women want more than promises (1988)

  • Year created:

    1988

  • Region:

    National (all of Canada)

  • Language:

    English and French
Shocking Pink Paper: Women Want More Than Promises

  • Year created:

    --

  • Region:

    National (all of Canada)

  • Language:

    English and French
Vote for Good Daycare

  • Author(s):

    Michael Cassidy, Anne Johnson

  • Region:

    Ontario

  • Language:

    English

Ephemera
National Action Committee on the Status of Women (Bookmark) 

  • Year created:

    1997

  • Region:

    National (all of Canada)

Films

Still from the film "Campaign" featuring yellow and black placards with "Barbara Beardsley NDP" written on them.
Campaign

  • Year created:

    1975

  • Filmmaker(s):

    Robert Fothergill, Peter Janecek, Eleanor Dudar

  • Language:

    English

  • Region:

    Ontario
A still from the film "Flora" featuring the title of the film in yellow text. In the background Flora MacDonald, a middle-aged white woman with curly light brown hair wearing a grey suit, is standing and smiling at a packed campaign event.
Flora: Scenes from a Leadership Convention

  • Year created:

    1977

  • Filmmaker(s):

    Peter Raymont

  • Language:

    English

  • Region:

    National (all of Canada)
Still from the film "The Right Candidate" featuring archival newspaper clips on Anne Cools' candidacy, reading "Top Liberals put the heat on Miss Cools."
The Right Candidate for Rosedale

  • Year created:

    1979

  • Filmmaker(s):

    Anne Henderson, Bonnie Sherr Klein

  • Language:

    English

  • Region:

    Ontario
Still from the film "Why Women Run" depicting several elderly white women enthusiastically raising campaign signs that say "Elect Alexa McDonough NDP."
Why Women Run

  • Year created:

    1999

  • Filmmaker(s):

    Meredith Ralston

  • Language:

    English

  • Region:

    Nova Scotia

Periodicals

Action Now! A Monthly Newsletter from the National Action Committee on the Status of Women

Action Now! – Vol. 3, No. 7 – September 1993

  • Year created:

    1993

  • Publisher:

    National Action Committee on the Status of Women / Comité canadien d'action sur le statut de la femme

  • Region:

    National (all of Canada)

  • Language:

    English and French

Newfoundland Status of Women Newsletter/St. John's Status of Women Council Newsletter

St. John’s Status of Women Council – September 1984

  • Year created:

    1984

  • Publisher:

    St. John's Status of Women Council

  • Author(s):

    Roberta Buchanan, Beth, Rosemary Ommer , Lynn Murphy , Sheila Moore , Betty Ryan , Pamela Hodgson , Rosalie Colbert , Sandy Stavlo

  • Language:

    English

Status of Women News

Status of Women News – Vol. 9, No. 2 – Summer 1984

  • Year created:

    1984

  • Publisher:

    National Action Committee on the Status of Women / Comité canadien d'action sur le statut de la femme

  • Region:

    National (all of Canada)

  • Language:

    English and French

The Womanist

thumbnail of The Womanist – Vol. 4, Issue 2 – Fall 1993
The Womanist – Vol. 4, Issue 2 – Fall 1993

  • Year created:

    1993

  • Publisher:

    Catalyst Research and Communications

  • Region:

    Ontario

  • Language:

    English

Posters
The Women’s Centre Supports Angie Dennis for Mayor

  • Year created:

    1972

  • Region:

    British Columbia

  • Language:

    English
Women’s Issues in Election Year

  • Year created:

    --

  • Region:

    Nova Scotia

  • Language:

    English