On April 3, 1925, women in what was then known as the Dominion of Newfoundland gained the right to vote and hold public office for the first time. This was made possible after years of campaigning by suffragists, who worked tirelessly to make their voices heard and their votes count.
The first general election in which women were able to participate occurred in 1928. In that election, 90 per cent of eligible women voters cast ballots.
Leading the Newfoundland suffrage movement in the 1920s was Armine Nutting Gosling, a pioneer in social reform and feminism. In 2023, PerSIStence Theatre Company started the Raise Her Up fundraising campaign to have a statue of Gosling erected in St. John’s.
The Provincial Government has provided $40,000 to this cause. The statue will become the third named statue of a woman in Newfoundland and Labrador, joining statues of Shanawdithit in Boyd’s Cove and Amelia Earhart in Harbour Grace. Local sculptor Sheila Coultas will also be the first woman in Newfoundland and Labrador to design a public statue.
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“Reflecting on the anniversary of women gaining the right to vote, we recognize not just this milestone, but also the progress made in advancing women’s empowerment and the challenges that still exist in achieving inclusivity and gender equality.”
Honourable Pam Parsons
Minister Responsible for the Office of Women and Gender Equality
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Office of Women and Gender Equality
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