Women’s History Month in Canada is a celebration of our female pioneers and the meaningful changes they set in motion for women today and for society as a whole.
For example, in 1875, New Brunswick’s Grace Annie Lockhart, became the first woman in the British Empire to receive a Bachelor’s degree. Today, women make up more than half of Canada’s post-secondary students. In 1914, Edith Monture became Canada’s first Indigenous registered nurse, and was also the first Indigenous woman to gain the right to vote in a federal election due to her wartime service. This year, Her Excellency the Right Honourable Mary Simon became our first Indigenous Governor General and the guardian of our constitutional traditions. She joins a Canadian vice-regal family that is predominately female. In 1924, 15-year old Cecile Eustace Smith became the first woman to represent Canada at the Olympic Games. This past summer, our women stormed the podium to bring home 29 of Canada’s 45 Olympic and Paralympic medals.
History is a continuum, with each person and every generation doing their part to further our collective progress. As Her Majesty the Queen’s representative in Alberta, it is my great pleasure to pay tribute to all our female trailblazers and to thank everyone who is dedicated to taking their legacies to the next level.
Her Honour, the Honourable Salma Lakhani AOE, B.Sc., LLD (hon)
Lieutenant Governor of Alberta