Historic Sites of Manitoba: Famous Five Monument (Osborne Street, Winnipeg)

This bronze sculpture of the “Famous Five”—the five women whose challenge to the Supreme Court of Canada in 1929 resulted in women being legally recognized as persons under the British North America Act—was unveiled at a ceremony on 18 June 2010. Created by local sculptor Helen Lillian Granger Young at an estimated cost of $750,000 on behalf of the Nellie McClung Foundation, the monument is one of three on the grounds of the Manitoba Legislative Building focusing on women, the others being monuments of Queen Victoria (on the north grounds) and Queen Elizabeth II (on the east grounds near Government House).

A nearby plaque describes the role of Nellie McClung in the “Persons Case”.

Famous Five monument on the grounds of the Manitoba Legislative Building (August 2010) L-R: Henrietta Muir Edwards, Emily Murphy, Irene Parlby, Louise McKinney, and Nellie McClung Source: Gordon Goldsborough Famous Five monument on the grounds of the Manitoba Legislative Building (August 2022) Source: George Penner Site Coordinates (lat/long): N49.88392, W97.14818 denoted by symbol on the map above

See also:

Historic Sites of Manitoba: Manitoba Legislative Building (450 Broadway, Winnipeg)

Memorable Manitobans: Helen Lillian Granger Young (1922-2023)

“Give us our due!” How Manitoba Women Won the Vote by Harry Gutkin and Mildred Gutkin
Manitoba History, Number 32, Autumn 1996

Sources:

We thank George Penner for providing additional information used here.

This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough.

Page revised: 15 April 2023

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