Establishment of the National Council of Women in Canada National Historic Event
Toronto, Ontario
Address :
160 Gerrard Street East, Toronto, Ontario
Recognition Statute:
Historic Sites and Monuments Act (R.S.C., 1985, c. H-4)
Designation Date:
2000-11-15
Other Name(s):
-
Establishment of the National Council of Women in Canada
(Designation Name)
Research Report Number:
2000-017
Importance:
Advocated social and health care reforms
Plaque(s)
Existing plaque: 160 Gerrard Street East, Toronto, Ontario
The National Council of Women of Canada lobbied for wide-ranging reforms that helped build this country’s social safety net. This large network of local, provincial and federal councils had its beginnings in 1893 at a meeting held near here, in the original Horticultural Pavilion. At a time when only a few women could vote—and then only in municipal elections—women learned political skills and found a political voice through the NCWC. They made their presence felt, campaigning for legal equality between men and women, protection for children, and other programs of benefit to Canadian families.