Newspapers launch flipbook:

Celebrating 100 years of women’s right to vote

L'Association de la presse francophone (APF) teamed up with the Quebec Community Newspaper Association (QCNA) to unveil, at the Canadian Museum of History, October 5, a booklet, We’re Clicking! Exploring 100 years of women’s right to vote in Canada.

The 16 bilingual pages explore, via the character Germaine, the key moments in the history of women’s right to vote. It looks at the first province to grant the vote to women -- Manitoba in 1916 -- and Quebec, the last province to do so, in 1940.

There’s also a discussion of Canada’s Indigenous vote, and a look at the question, “What if people could vote at age 16?”

The APF, which prepared the booklet, also launched a bilingual website “clique-clicking.ca” where you can find information about women’s right to vote and the rules for a contest, “Present your exceptional woman!”.

Students from grades 4 to 12 are asked to create a front page of a newspaper, showing the woman they believe to be outstanding. The exceptional woman can be a mother, a professor, a friend, a Canadian icon, or any exceptional woman in the world. The contest ends November 15, 2016, with the winner announced in December.

The APF’s flipbook initiative will not be its last, since the press association is planning a similar project for the NHL’s centennial in 2017.

In addition to the printed booklet and website, the Canadian Museum of History is marking the 100th anniversary of the women’s vote in Canada with a new display, “Nice Women Don’t Want the Vote!”, open until March 12, 2017. The display’s name references an infamous sentence uttered by Manitoba’s Premier, Rodmond Roblin, during a clash with feminist hero, Nellie McClung.

“We hope this exhibit will deepen everyone’s knowledge of voting and women’s rights,” said Claudette Leclerc, Director for the Manitoba Museum that created the display.