'Pink tea' event marks 95th anniversary of landmark women's rights case

High school students and trailblazing Island politicians gatheredin Summerside, P.E.I., onFriday to mark the 95th anniversary of a milestone case for women's rights in Canada.

The "Pink Tea"eventat Three Oaks Senior High Schoolcommemorated a 1929legal decision known widely as thePersons Case, a landmark victory that saw women officially declared "persons" under Canadian law.

"It was such an important moment in the history of women's rights in Canada," said Malak Elfadil, a Grade 12 student who helped organize the event.

"I think them winning that case wasn't just to help women at that time, but it also set the stage for more progress in gender equality."

Island Morning7:30Summerside hosts Pink Tea to celebrate Persons Case anniversary

In October 1929, a group of women who would go down in history as The Famous Five won their appeal in a case about allowing women to serve in Canada's Senate. It came to be known as the Persons Case, and this week in Summerside, people will gather to mark its 95th anniversary.

The event's pink teatheme harkens backto an eraof covert political activism, Elfadilexplained onCBC's Island Morning earlier this week.

Canadian womenonce heldevents calledpink teas,she said, usingthe label as a sort ofcode nametodisguise the true purpose ofgatherings wherewomen educated one anotherabout the law in apush for political equality.

The 'Famous Five'

The historic legal victory of Oct. 18, 1929, was due to the persistence of five Alberta women: Emily Murphy, Nellie McClung, Irene Parlby, Louise McKinney and Henrietta Muir Edwards.

These women came to be known as Canada's "Famous Five."

Their battle began in 1916, when lawyers challenged Judge Emily Murphy's rulings because she was not considered a "person" under Canadian law.

By 1927, the Alberta women had garnered support from all across Canada, and petitioned Canada's Supreme Court to recognize women as having equal standing under the law with men. After five weeks of debate, their appeal was unanimously denied.

But thewomen didn't give up, taking the fight to the Privy Council of the British government, which at the time was the ultimate authority in Canadian law.They eventually won their case, paving the way for Cairine Wilson to become the first womansworn in as a member of the Canadian Senate in 1930.

By the way, P.E.I. had its own Famous Five named in homage to the women behind the Persons Case. They earned the group nickname in 1993 when womenheld fivetop positions on the Island at the same time:lieutenant-governor, premier, leader of the official opposition, speaker and deputy speaker.

Former premier Catherine Callbeck was a member of P.E.I.'s Famous Five as well as the first woman to be elected to a premier's position in all of Canada. (Women had previously taken over as premier when a sitting premier of a province resigned and left office without an election being called.)

Callbeck and the two other surviving members of the P.E.I. fivePat Mella and Libbe Hubley were present at the pink tea event in Summerside Friday.

Callbeck told CBCNews much has changed for the better since she started her longcareer in public office.

"When I campaigned for my very first election, I was told that this wasn't a position for women that it was too difficult and women couldn't cope with it," she said. "I think you wouldn't find that at the doors today."

Mella, a former leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Prince Edward Island, praised the gathering.

"Very, very informative," she said. "Lots of students here, great discussion."

Hubley, who served as a member of Canada's Senatefor 16 years, had a simple piece of advice for young women who might be thinking about following in her footsteps: "Go for it."