Emily Murphy

Statue of Emily Murphy in the monument to The Famous Five, Parliament Hill, Ottawa

Emily Murphy (March 14 1868 - October 17 1933) was a Canadian women's rights activist. In 1916, she became the first woman police magistrate in Alberta, and in the British Empire.

She is best known for her contributions to Canadian feminism, specifically to the question of whether women were "persons" under Canadian law. During her term as a judge, several defence lawyers questioned her qualification to sit in judgment over their clients, questioning if she was even a "person" under the law. No female senator had yet been appointed, and she was considered a prime candidate; however, she was rejected by a succession of prime ministers.

Finally she and four other women: Henrietta Muir Edwards, Nellie McClung, Louise McKinney and Irene Parlby, who together were known as The Famous Five (also called The Valiant Five), fought what came to be called the Persons Case, to show that women could be "qualified persons" eligible to sit in the Senate. The Supreme Court of Canada ruled that they were not. However, after appealing to the Judicial Committee of the British Privy Council - the court of last resort for Canada at that time - the women won their case, and Cairine Wilson would become the first woman senator.

She was also a journalist and author. Under the pen name Janey Canuck, Ms. Murphy wrote a number of articles with white supremacist and anti-immigration viewpoints. She inveighed against drugs, in particular opium and marijuana, arguing that they were being spread by Chinese immigrants in order to weaken the white race in Canada. One of her most notable books in this regard was entitled The Black Candle.

Her legacy is disputed, with her important contributions to feminism being weighed against her anti-immigrant views that were extreme even for her time. Some argue that she was a racist and should not be honoured; others say that her racism was a product of her times and should not vitiate her activism on behalf of Canadian women. [1]

Emily Murphy and the rest of the Famous Five will appear on the new Canadian $50 note.