ABOUT

Leading up to the December federal election, the Union government, under Prime Minister Sir Robert Borden, passed a temporary wartime measure that extended the vote to all those serving overseas with the Canadian military— including our female Nursing Sisters.

Over the course of the First World War, some 2504 women volunteered to serve overseas with the Canadian Army Medical Corps as Nursing Sisters. Not only were the Canadian Nursing Sisters the only nurses of the Allied forces to hold the rank of officers, but because of the difference in time zones, they were also the first women in Canadian history to vote in a federal election.

The First World War was a significant catalyst for not only the professionalization of nursing but also for the advancement of female participation within the political sphere. Canadian women returned from war expecting the same rights in peacetime as they had been granted in wartime. In 1919, the right to vote was extended to all eligible Canadian women 21 years of age or older.

December 2017 marked the one hundredth anniversary of women voting for the first time in a Canadian federal election. Their Votes Counted was a fully-bilingual, travelling exhibition that sought to commemorate this significant milestone in Canadian history. This exhibit was designed with flexibility in mind and could be mounted in a series of configurations to accommodate a variety of spaces.

This exhibition is no longer available.

EXHIBITION COMPONENTS

A minimum space of 22’ x 8’ is required for:

• 1 free-standing vector frame panel: 95.35”w x 94.74”h x 19.69”d (double-sided)

• 2 free-standing panels: 48.11”w x 94.74”h x 119.69”d (doubled sided)

• 1 WWI Canadian Nursing Sister Uniform on free-standing mannequin form

• 1 free-standing ballot box interactive with fillable 1917 ballots

• This flexible exhibit has been designed with flexibility in mind and can be mounted in a series of configurations to accommodate a variety of spaces.