The first wave of feminism started in the late 19th century.
 Women's legal rights made slow progress throughout the 19th century.
In 1859, Upper Canada passed a law allowing married women to own property.
In 1885, Alberta passed a law allowing unmarried women who owned property the right to vote and hold office in school matters.
 This early activism was focused on increasing women’s role in public life, with goals including women’s suffrage, increased property rights, increased access to education, and recognition as "persons" under the law.
This early iteration of Canadian feminism was largely based in maternal feminism: the idea that women are natural caregivers and "mothers of the nation" who should participate in public life because of their perceived propensity for decisions that will result in good care of society.
In this view, women were seen to be a civilizing force on society, which was a significant part of women’s engagement in missionary work and in the Woman’s Christian Temperance Union (WCTU).

Religion was an important factor in the early stages of the Canadian women’s movement.
Some of the earliest groups of organized women came together for a religious purpose.
 When women were rejected as missionaries by their Churches and missionary societies, they started their own missionary societies and raised funds to send female missionaries abroad.
Some of them raised enough to train some of their missionaries as teachers or doctors.

Women's political status without the vote was vigorously promoted by the National Council of Women of Canada from 1894 to 1918.
It promoted a vision of "transcendent citizenship" for women.
The ballot was not needed, for citizenship was to be exercised through personal influence and moral suasion, through the election of men with strong moral character and through raising public-spirited sons.
The National Council position was integrated into its nation-building program that sought to uphold Canada as a white settler nation.
While the women's suffrage movement was important for extending the political rights of white women, it was also authorized through race-based arguments that linked white women's enfranchisement to the need to protect the nation from "racial degeneration".

Women sometimes did have a local vote in some provinces, as in Ontario from 1850, where women who owned property could vote for school trustees.
By 1900, other provinces adopted similar provisions, and in 1916, Manitoba took the lead in extending full woman's suffrage.
Simultaneously, suffragists gave strong support to the prohibition movement, especially in Ontario and the Western provinces.

The Military Voters Act of 1917 gave the vote to British women who were war widows or had sons or husbands serving overseas.
Unionists Prime Minister Sir Robert Borden pledged himself during the 1917 campaign to equal suffrage for women.
After his landslide victory, he introduced a bill in 1918 for extending the franchise to women.
This passed without division, but it did not apply to Québec.
The women of Québec did not obtain full suffrage until 1940.
The first woman elected to Parliament was Agnes Macphail in Ontario in 1921.

First women elected in the British Empire were two Alberta women (Louise McKinney and Roberta MacAdams) elected in 1917.

First woman elected to the House of Commons was Progressive candidate Agnes MacPhail, elected in 1921.
The first wave of feminism started in the late 19th century.  Women's legal rights made slow progress throughout the 19th century. In 1859, Upper Canada passed a law allowing married women to own property. In 1885, Alberta passed a law allowing unmarried women who owned property the right to vote and hold office in school matters.  This early activism was focused on increasing women’s role in public life, with goals including women’s suffrage, increased property rights, increased access to education, and recognition as "persons" under the law. This early iteration of Canadian feminism was largely based in maternal feminism: the idea that women are natural caregivers and "mothers of the nation" who should participate in public life because of their perceived propensity for decisions that will result in good care of society. In this view, women were seen to be a civilizing force on society, which was a significant part of women’s engagement in missionary work and in the Woman’s Christian Temperance Union (WCTU).
Religion was an important factor in the early stages of the Canadian women’s movement. Some of the earliest groups of organized women came together for a religious purpose.  When women were rejected as missionaries by their Churches and missionary societies, they started their own missionary societies and raised funds to send female missionaries abroad. Some of them raised enough to train some of their missionaries as teachers or doctors.
Women's political status without the vote was vigorously promoted by the National Council of Women of Canada from 1894 to 1918. It promoted a vision of "transcendent citizenship" for women. The ballot was not needed, for citizenship was to be exercised through personal influence and moral suasion, through the election of men with strong moral character and through raising public-spirited sons. The National Council position was integrated into its nation-building program that sought to uphold Canada as a white settler nation. While the women's suffrage movement was important for extending the political rights of white women, it was also authorized through race-based arguments that linked white women's enfranchisement to the need to protect the nation from "racial degeneration".
Women sometimes did have a local vote in some provinces, as in Ontario from 1850, where women who owned property could vote for school trustees. By 1900, other provinces adopted similar provisions, and in 1916, Manitoba took the lead in extending full woman's suffrage. Simultaneously, suffragists gave strong support to the prohibition movement, especially in Ontario and the Western provinces.
The Military Voters Act of 1917 gave the vote to British women who were war widows or had sons or husbands serving overseas. Unionists Prime Minister Sir Robert Borden pledged himself during the 1917 campaign to equal suffrage for women. After his landslide victory, he introduced a bill in 1918 for extending the franchise to women. This passed without division, but it did not apply to Québec. The women of Québec did not obtain full suffrage until 1940. The first woman elected to Parliament was Agnes Macphail in Ontario in 1921.
First women elected in the British Empire were two Alberta women (Louise McKinney and Roberta MacAdams) elected in 1917.
First woman elected to the House of Commons was Progressive candidate Agnes MacPhail, elected in 1921.
History of Canadian women