WOMAN SENATOR

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 50, Issue 163, 23 April 1930, Page 3

WOMAN SENATOR

THE FIRST I.N CANADA. MOTHER OF EIGHT CHILDREN. OTTAWA, March 13. The policy of equal rights for women registered a notable advance when, the Privy Councii having ruled that a woman is a "person" within the meaninn- of the British North America Act, the Prime Minister (Mr W. L. Mackenzie King) named Mrs Cairiue Wilson of Ottawa to sit in the Senate of Canada. There was already one woman in the House of Commons— Miss Agnes Macphail, a former schoolteacher, who represents an agricultural constituency. But the feminist movement has had its rebuffs also. The Legislature of the province of Quebec formally refused women the right to-practise law, although they niay practise medicine, and a°little &ter voted down a proposal that women be given the provincial franchise. They have voted i'oi years in Federal elections. The Legislature divided 4 to 24 o:i the subject of votes for women, and ad'.vocates of ibis extension of the franchise . were encouraged by the fact that steady gains had been made since the question was introduced some years ago so that this year's adverse majority of twenty was tho smallest recorded in several divisions. No doubt another attempt will be made next year. The first woman Senator in Canada is the wife of Mr Norman Wilson, a former member of Parliament and a daughter of the late the Hon. Robert Mackav, of Montreal, himself a Senator and director of numerous companies, including the Canadian Pacific Railway She is several times a millionaire, has eight children, and has never been aggressively active as a feminist, Mrs Wilson is' .about -10 years of age. drosses charmingly, and her first speech in the Senate was made in both/ French and English. Mrs Wilson is the youngest member of "the Upper House. The oldest is the Hon. George Casimir Dessaulle:;, who will be ,103 if he lives until next September. The venerable gentleman, who is descended from some of French Canada's most distinguished families, was well and active until a few months aero, but he has not been! able .to attend the present session of Parliament and it is doubtful if he will 1)9 seen again in the Capital.