Following in McClung’s trail blazing footsteps, for the first time in Canadian history, the 2015 federal election will see the campaigns of all three leading political parties run by women.
The Famous 5 Ottawa will honour these women – Jenni Byrne, the Conservatives’ campaign manager, Anne McGrath, the NDP’s campaign director and Katie Telford, the Liberals’ campaign co-chair – as nation builders at a luncheon March 9, 2015 at The Westin Ottawa Hotel.
“As women leading their respective political parties for the upcoming national election, The Famous 5 Ottawa will celebrate their achievements at the national level and the work they do to support those in public life,” said Isabel Metcalfe, chair of the Famous 5 Ottawa.
The luncheon will be attended by McGrath, Telford and Conservative Sen. Marjory LeBreton. Byrne has accepted the honour but is unable to attend.
LeBreton is a good friend of the Famous 5 Ottawa. In 1998, she seconded the motion for the Senate of Canada to approve the placement of the Women Are Persons! monument on Parliament Hill. It commemorates the efforts of the original Famous Five Alberta women – Emily Murphy, Nellie McClung, Irene Parlby, Henrietta Muir Edwards and Louise McKinney – for the political battle they fought to secure the right of women to serve in the Senate of Canada and beginning a long road of constitutional change in Canada.
