Nellie McClung memorial unveiled at Manitoba Legislature

Politicians celebrated the 100th anniversary of some women obtaining the right to vote with the unveiling of a plaque Tuesday at the Manitoba Legislature that commemorates the life of Nellie McClung.

McClung was a leader of the fight that brought in a new era when some women won the right to vote in Manitoba in 1916.

Manitoba Lt.-Gov. Janice Filmon, chair of the Nellie McClung Foundation, said she is grateful to have a new permanent fixture inside the legislature devoted to McClung's work.

It's hard to imagine whether McClung and her colleagues really knew how much of an impact they would have on future generations, she said.

"Could they possibly have known what a milestone this would be? Here we are 100 years later celebrating this. They knew that they wanted to make the change, but I really don't know if they could've anticipated the kinds of changes that we're still all working on," she said.

When she decided to chair the foundation, Filmon researched McClung and eventually felt as if she knew her personally, which made her even more grateful to take part in the ceremony on Tuesday.

"When you consider that we're half the population, we've got then half the creativity and intelligence and imagination. The world may as well use it, so this was a big, big day," Filmon said.​

Filmon said she is committed to educating younger generations about McClung and the barriers she had to break through to make her mark on history.

Judy Klassen, Liberal MLA for Keewatinook, said it is important to remember that not all women earned the right to vote during McClung's time. Indigenous people didn't get the right to vote until 1960.