The Last Suffragist Standing

Book excerpt: The Last Suffragist Standing is an unprecedented study of a pioneering politician, a New Woman who tested Canadian democracy. Laura Marshall Jamieson (1882–1964) was the last suffragist in Canada to be elected to a provincial or federal legislature, and her biography opens a window onto the political and social landscape of her time. She embraced issues such as minimum wage, feminist pacifism, housing, and employment equality throughout her six decades of activism. Strong-Boag’s deep knowledge of the history of the women’s movement and Canadian politics turns this compelling account of a woman’s life into an illuminating work on the history of feminism, socialism, internationalism, and activism in Canada.