National Council of Women

The National Council of Women played an important role in women's suffrage, although the thought of women voting was too much of a controversial issue to be dealt with in Canada at the time. Augusta Stowe-Gullen played a key role in women's suffrage movement. 

Manitoba women were the first in Canada to earn the right to vote. Slowly after this, other provinces followed. The NCWC did not identify themselves as a feminist group, but in 1910 they formed a suffrage platform, and they took a cautious approach while addressing the issue. French Canadians and women of colour were grossly under-represented and unheard in the movement of earning women the right to vote. In 1873 British Colombian women earned the right to vote, but, only in municipal elections and only if she owned property in British Columbia. In 1916, a referendum was demanded by the Premier of British Columbia, William Bowser, if they were going to move forward with the plan. Male voters passed the referendum supporting the idea of women being able to vote. In 1917, British Columbia Women earned the right to vote in any election (except for Asian and Aboriginal Women). In 1918, the first woman was elected to the BC Legislature, Mary Ellen Smith, which occurred in the first election since women in Canada were allowed to vote in BC. 

The National Council of Women was not solely focused on larger tasks such as Women's Suffrage or establishing organisations, they also used their power for things such as building free libraries and supervised playgrounds. Every task they took part in held importance, for it was helping at least a few people. They also took part in public health measures, such as clean water supply, and medical inspections within schools. The NCWC is an organisation that made many Canadian women feel safer in dark times, which was one of their main goals.