Mr. Speaker, today marks the 70th anniversary of the beginning of one of the most revolutionary legal battles ever to be undertaken. On this day in 1928 the Supreme Court of Canada ruled that women were not persons under the British North America Act. As you can imagine women across the empire were disturbed by this decision and as such they took their fight to the British Privy Council. Today we proudly celebrate the final decision made by that body.
Because of the efforts of individuals such as Senator Emily Murphy, women across the commonwealth were granted the status of persons. As a result, in Canada today men and women enjoy equal societal privileges, protection and status under the law. Despite that, there are still many places in the world that women are treated as second class citizens.
As Canadians we must continue to work to secure positive, civil and legal development in nations that have not yet been liberated by the effects of enhanced personal freedom and true gender equality. Indeed it is our duty to lead by example. Canada is and has always been a world leader in these areas. I am proud to support—