Since 1867, 254 women have been elected to the House of Commons representing various political parties: Liberal Party 90, New Democratic Party 56, Progressive Conservative Party 37, Conservative Party of Canada 30, Bloc Québécois 25, Reform Party 7, Canadian Reform Conservative Alliance 4, Co-operative Commonwealth Federation 1, Independent Conservative 1, Progressive 1, Green Party of Canada 1 and Unity 1.
At the call of the May 2, 2011 election, women’s representation in the House of Commons was as follows: Conservative 22, Liberal 19, Bloc Québécois 15, New Democratic Party 10, and Independent Conservative 1, for a total of 67.
Women were given the right to run as candidates in federal elections in 1920. (As per An Act Respecting the Election of Members of the House of Commons and the Electoral Franchise ("Dominion Elections Act"), S.C. 1920, c. 46, s. 38, assented to on July 1, 1920.)
In the general election of December 6, 1921, 4 women ran as candidates and only one was elected: Miss Agnes Campbell MacPhail became the first woman to sit in the House of Commons; she was elected as a Progressive.
There were 451 women running in the May 2, 2011 general election:
124 represented the New Democratic Party (40 elected)
99 represented the Green Party (1 elected)
90 represented the Liberal Party (6 elected)
68 represented the Conservative Party of Canada (28 elected)
24 represented the Bloc Québécois (1 elected)
23 represented the Marxist-Leninist Party (none elected)
6 represented the Animal Alliance Environment Voters Party of Canada (none elected)
4 represented the Canadian Heritage Party of Canada (none elected)
4 represented the Communist Party of Canada (none elected)
3 represented the Libertarian Party of Canada (none elected)
3 represented the neorhino.ca Party (none elected)
2 represented the Canadian Action Party (none elected)
1 ran as Independents (none elected)
A record of 76 women were elected to the House of Commons in this general election.
Miss Agnes Campbell MacPhail became the first woman to sit in the House of Commons; she was elected as a Progressive in the December 6, 1921 general election.
Hon. Ellen Louks Fairclough was the first woman to hold a Cabinet post. She was appointed Secretary of State of Canada, June 21, 1957.
The Rt. Hon. Jeanne Sauvé was the first woman chosen Speaker of the House of Commons on April 14, 1980. She was also the first woman to be Governor General of Canada from May 14, 1984 to January 28, 1990.
Hon. Sheila Maureen Copps was the first to give birth while sitting as a Member of Parliament. Her daughter, Danelle Lauren, was born March 27, 1987.
Hon. Sheila Maureen Copps was the first woman named Deputy Prime Minister on November 4, 1993.
The Rt. Hon. A. Kim Campbell was the first woman to become Prime Minister of Canada on June 25, 1993, although the Hon. Ellen Louks Fairclough served as Acting Prime Minister in 1958 for 2 days.
Suzanne Tremblay was the first woman appointed Opposition House Leader on March 17, 1997.
Women were granted the right to vote pursuant to An Act to confer the Electoral Franchise upon Women (S.C. 1918, c.20) passed May 25, 1918 and in effect January 1, 1919.
However, women who were British subjects and had close relatives in the armed forces could vote on behalf of their male relatives in federal elections, as per the Military Voters Act (S.C. 1917, c.34) passed on September 9, 1917.