On April 12, 1917, women officially gained the right to vote in Ontario’s provincial elections. Two years later, legislation allowing women to run for provincial office was passed. Although two female candidates ran in the October 20, 1919 provincial election - Henrietta Thompson Bundy and Justerna Sears - neither won their seat. The province would have to wait another 24 years to see its first female Members of Provincial Parliament (MPPs) elected.

Since the first female MPPs were elected in 1943, women have played increasingly important roles in Ontario’s parliamentary system. Over 100 women have sat in Ontario’s Legislature and many more have served in other roles supporting the province’s parliament. The following pages feature women who have contributed greatly to the current landscape of Ontario.

Watch a video featuring interviews from some of the women MPPs featured in the Remarkable Assembly exhibit.