To begin with, an important development in Canadian history that shows how the evolution of women's political equality contributed to the evolution of the role The Persons Case was decided in the late 1920s. The Persons Case was a constitutional decision that established the right of women to be appointed to the Senate. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”?Get the original essayThe origin of the person's case dates back to 1916, when Emily Murphy had been considered a "person" during her first day as a magistrate. Murphy had been appointed as a magistrate at a recently opened women's court in Edmonton, Alberta, when a lawyer challenged Murphy's case before a judge, given that she was a woman and women were not considered as “persons” under the British North America Act (British North America Act). The British North America Act, 1867, now known as the Constitution Act, 1867, is the law that created and governed the Dominion of Canada. Under the British North America Act, only “qualified persons” could be appointed to the Senate. However, the British North America Act did not specify whether or not the term "persons" included women. In 1867, the term "person" was legally understood to mean only men. Consequently, the Canadian government had since interpreted the term "persons" in the British North America Act to include only men. Emily Murphy and four other prominent activists formed an alliance called the Famous Five and decided to challenge the British North America Act. The Famous Five met on August 27, 1927 and signed a letter which was sent to the Governor General. Subsequently, the matter was brought before the Supreme Court of Canada. In 1928, the Supreme Court of Canada unanimously ruled that women were not "persons" within the meaning of the British North America Act and were therefore not eligible for employment. appointment to the Senate. The Alberta Five were discouraged but did not give up and took the matter to the Privy Council of England, which was the final court of appeal. On October 18, 1929, the Privy Council of England overturned the Supreme Court's decision and ruled that women were now considered "persons" within the meaning of the law. Lord Sankey, who delivered the judgment on behalf of the Privy Council, also remarked that "the exclusion of women from all public offices is a relic of times more barbarous than ours [...] and to those who wonder why the word [people] should include women, the obvious answer is why shouldn't it. » Keep in mind: this is just a sample. Get a personalized article from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay Women's Struggle for Political Equality in Canada. Legal recognition of women as "persons" meant that women could no longer be denied rights based on a narrow interpretation of the law and were now eligible to work for change both in the House of Commons and in the Upper House..