Hon. Lucie Pépin:

Honourable senators, I am pleased to speak in support of the excellent initiative put forward by our colleague, Senator Cochrane, to recognize each member of the Famous Five as an honorary senator.

I would like to congratulate her for thinking of such a wonderful way to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the decision of the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council that recognized women as "persons" and, as such, made them eligible for appointment to the Senate of Canada.

It is hard for us to imagine today that women's eligibility for political service was such a hard-fought battle.

In earlier times, women could not vote or own property, nor could they even sign a medical authorization form for themselves or their children.

Women were expected to stay in the home, and serve their husbands and children. Having any sort of political aspirations was definitely out of the question, given that their rights were extremely limited.

Equality for women is now guaranteed and enshrined in our Constitution thanks to the work of women who have fought to have all Canadian women recognized as full citizens.

It is practically impossible to talk about these pioneers without mentioning the Famous Five: Irene Parlby, Nellie McClung, Emily Murphy, Henrietta Edwards and Louise McKinney. Senator Cochrane has already provided us with an eloquent portrait of each of these five remarkable women.

These five women from Alberta, supported by thousands of others, helped carry on the progress that began with the achievement of women's right to vote in 1918.

Thanks to their determination, on October 18, 1929, the Privy Council decreed that the word "person" in the British North America Act included women.

When the matter went before the Supreme Court of Canada, it ruled in 1928 that the Constitution was to be interpreted in light of the time in which it was written.

The Court noted that in 1867 women did not have the right to vote or the right to run for election, and furthermore, the Constitution contained only masculine pronouns and adjectives.

This decision by the Privy Council was a decisive victory in Canadian women's fight for recognition of their rights.

The Famous Five fought hard for the right to sit in the Senate, firmly believing that, with women in the Senate, decisions that affected Canadian women and their families would be more equitable. Today, we can say that they were right.

The Senate has good representation of women, who make up 34 per cent of senators. Our institution surpasses the critical mass equivalent to the United Nations' key index of 30 per cent. According to the UN, this is the threshold at which women can make a difference.

Perhaps I should not be the one saying this, but the Senate has in its ranks women from all walks of life who use their knowledge and experience as women in their duties as parliamentarians. This statement also applies to our sisters in the House of Commons.

This decision by the Privy Council not only gave Canadian women the right to be senators. The stakes in the battle waged by the Famous Five went beyond women's right to sit in the Senate.

The argument in the Persons case was used to deny women the right to hold certain positions of authority and to participate in political life and the affairs of state on an equal footing with men. Without a doubt, these five women paved the way for Canadian women to take part in public life in general.

Certainly, a great deal has been accomplished, and women are now a fixture in politics. Never before have so many Canadian women put their knowledge and experience to use in serving their country. Senator Cochrane gave us examples of several women who have played prominent roles in politics and made us proud.

Eighty years have passed since the struggle by the Famous Five. Things have changed for the better, but the reality for women in politics has not changed fundamentally.

I have to say that there is still work to be done, because women are a long way from carrying significant weight on the political scene.

The particular nature of the Senate, where members are appointed, should not be the tree that hides the forest. In the 2008 election, only 22 per cent of successful candidates were women, the highest percentage of female members ever elected at the federal level.

In fact, it looks as though, for the time being, we may have reached the glass ceiling of 20 per cent female representation in the House of Commons. At the provincial and municipal level, an average of 25 per cent of elected members are women.

Many Canadian women believed that the right to vote would naturally translate into fair representation in the legislatures. Years later we have come to the realization that that has not occurred. Getting elected to Parliament remains a long and arduous task.

These women were able to enter many non-traditional trades. However, a position in the legislature can be a very difficult objective for most Canadian women to attain.

Women fare better in appointments to the Senate. However, although we have welcomed 27 new senators since December, only 8 are women. I am very pleased to welcome women, but we need more.

There is still a great deal of room for improvement. The Famous Five would no doubt be very proud that we are paying such a wonderful tribute to them today by naming them honorary senators. They would be even more pleased if their objective of increasing the number of women in public office were already attained.

Given the situation, the legitimate question is: why are women still underrepresented in the House of Commons, provincial legislatures and municipal government?

I regret to say that answers to this question were provided in 1992 by the Royal Commission on Electoral Reform and Party Financing. I was one of five commissioners.

The underlying causes of the lack of women in politics are systemic. I do not believe that political parties have shown enough resolve to implement the required remedies.

And yet, just as we have done, the Equal Voice organization reminds us of this quite often. The majority of Canadians are in favour of an immediate increase in the number of women elected in this country.

My speech this afternoon may not be the ideal moment for reviewing the obstacles preventing women from participating more fully in Canada's political life or even acknowledging the solutions that are slow to be implemented.

Therefore, I will only comment briefly, in the spirit of the struggle of the Famous Five.

In paying tribute today to the Famous Five and the efforts they made, we realize how much we owe them.

To those who, like me, are disappointed by the slow progress of women in political positions, the Famous Five have shown us that the most important thing is never to back down and never to give up fighting for change.

Let us embrace the determination of the Famous Five and work together to make the equality we dream of a reality.

In closing, I would like to reiterate my support for Senator Cochrane in her efforts to honour the Famous Five in such a wonderful way.

I invite you, honourable senators, to adopt this motion that has been submitted for your approval.

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