<\/p>\n
It\u2019s a bit of a sur\u00adprise that the Office of the Chief Elec\u00adtoral Offi\u00adcer would pro\u00adduce a charm\u00ading\u00adly writ\u00adten and graph\u00adi\u00adcal\u00adly pleas\u00ading book \u2014 aren\u2019t those folks sup\u00adposed to be soul\u00adless, humour\u00adless bureau\u00adcrats? And it presents the his\u00adto\u00adry of the fran\u00adchise in Cana\u00adda with sys\u00adtem\u00adat\u00adic schol\u00adar\u00adship. It begins by men\u00adtion\u00ading the rep\u00adre\u00adsen\u00adta\u00adtive insti\u00adtu\u00adtions of Native Cana\u00addi\u00adans, and gives a brief dis\u00adcus\u00adsion of the elect\u00aded assem\u00adbly that exist\u00aded in New France, the Con\u00adseil de Qu\u00e9bec, between 1657 and 1674, only to be sup\u00adpressed by the infa\u00admous French Sec\u00adre\u00adtary of State, Jean-Bap\u00adtiste Col\u00adbert, who firm\u00adly rep\u00adri\u00admand\u00aded Fron\u00adtenac for his \u201cinno\u00adva\u00adtion\u201d. Most inter\u00adest\u00ading to me were the detailed his\u00adto\u00adries of the fran\u00adchise in all the British North Amer\u00adi\u00adcan colonies before Cana\u00addi\u00adan Confederation.<\/span><\/p>\n I did know before\u00adhand that Nova Sco\u00adtia acquired uni\u00adver\u00adsal male suf\u00adfrage in 1854, only to rein\u00adtro\u00adduce prop\u00ader\u00adty qual\u00adi\u00adfi\u00adca\u00adtions in 1863. Amaz\u00ading\u00adly, I did\u00adn\u2019t know that women vot\u00aded in Low\u00ader Cana\u00adda as ear\u00adly as 1792! Appar\u00adent\u00adly, the Con\u00adsti\u00adtu\u00adtion\u00adal Act estab\u00adlish\u00ading leg\u00adis\u00adla\u00adtures in Low\u00ader and Upper Cana\u00adda, in 1791, did not specif\u00adi\u00adcal\u00adly for\u00adbid women to vote, defin\u00ading only cit\u00adi\u00adzen\u00adship and prop\u00ader\u00adty qual\u00adi\u00adfi\u00adca\u00adtions. In Upper Cana\u00adda, sub\u00adject to Eng\u00adlish Com\u00admon Law and tra\u00addi\u00adtion, it was assumed that women could not vote. But French Cana\u00addi\u00adan women assumed that they could, and, under the code civile<\/em>, noth\u00ading could pre\u00advent them. Women reg\u00adu\u00adlar\u00adly vot\u00aded, unchal\u00adlenged until the leg\u00adis\u00adla\u00adture attempt\u00aded (and failed) to pre\u00advent them in 1834. Even when the two colonies were com\u00adbined in the Act of Union of 1840, women in Low\u00ader Cana\u00adda (even\u00adtu\u00adal\u00adly to become the Province of Que\u00adbec) con\u00adtin\u00adued to exer\u00adcise the fran\u00adchise until Con\u00adfed\u00ader\u00ada\u00adtion. This amaz\u00ading piece of infor\u00adma\u00adtion some\u00adhow did\u00adn\u2019t make it into the his\u00adto\u00adries of Cana\u00adda that I\u2019ve read \u2014 unless I some\u00adhow man\u00adaged to miss it.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" It\u2019s a bit of a sur\u00adprise that the Office of the Chief Elec\u00adtoral Offi\u00adcer would pro\u00adduce a charm\u00ading\u00adly writ\u00adten and graph\u00adi\u00adcal\u00adly pleas\u00ading book \u2014 aren\u2019t those folks sup\u00adposed to be soul\u00adless, humour\u00adless bureau\u00adcrats? And it presents the his\u00adto\u00adry of the \u2026<\/p>\n