As WomanitionTM women we know that we stand on the shoulders of giants. If it hadn't been for all the brave trailblazers who went before us, we wouldn't be able to accomplish the amazing thing we do today.

In addition to being Women's History Month, on March 8 we celebrated International Women's Day. This global celebration recognizes the accomplishments of women in the areas of economics, politics and social activism. Canada's theme for the 2009 International Women's Day was;

Strong Leadership. Strong Women. Strong World: Equality.

I think that sums up the membership of WomanitionTM beautifully. In fact, it is a defining quality of Alberta women historically.

Five Alberta giants we can point to as women who exemplified this year's theme, forged a path for us decades ago. In October 2009, Canada will celebrate the 80th anniversary of the 'Persons Case'. This decision, by the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council of England, overturned the Supreme Court of Canada's ruling that women were not "qualified persons" in section 24, of the British North America Act. This significant ruling entitled women to be "eligible to be summoned to and become members of the Senate of Canada" (Dominion Law Reports [1930] 1 DLR).

This amazing turn of events was brought about by five Alberta women who decided to advance the rights of women in Canada. Emily Murphy, Irene Parlby, Nellie McClung, Louise Crummy McKinney and Henrietta Muir Edwards together changed the course of women's rights in Canada. Independently they were pioneers of what we in Womanition value:

Emily Murphy was the first female magistrate in the British Empire.

Irene Parlby was the first woman Cabinet Minister in Alberta.

Louise Crummy McKinney the first woman elected to the Legislative Assembly of Alberta, was the first woman elected to a legislature in Canada and in the British Empire.

Henrietta Muir Edwards was already 80 at the time of the Persons' Case, but co-founded the Victorian Order of Nurses with Lady Aberdeen, and prepared 2 handbooks one on The Legal Status of Women in Canada (1917) and one on The Legal Status of Women in Alberta (1921). Nellie McClung was a national best-selling author and served as a Liberal member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta.

To find out more about the amazing women who helped build Canada check out Canada's Great Women.

©Womanition 2009. All rights reserved; used by permission. Written by Sharon Price, Catapult Business Solutions