Opponents of women’s right to vote

A suffragist movement took shape in Canada starting in the 1870s, but as was the case elsewhere, Canada’s suffragists had to confront degrees of indifference or opposition from men and women who were unconcerned about the question, who mocked their demands, or who were openly hostile. Many men, who were of the opinion that women should remain above the rough world of politics and concentrate on maintaining the stability of the home, were tireless and bitterly hostile towards the suffragists. Some women were also vigorously opposed, arguing that they exercised their influence through their sons and husbands. In Quebec, for example, determined adversaries, including the bishops, delayed the granting of women’s right to vote until 1940.