Canada has made significant strides in advancing gender equality over the years, and one of the key milestones we commemorate is Persons Day, celebrated on Oct. 18. It recognizes the 1929 decision from Canada’s highest court of appeal to include women in the legal definition of “persons,” laying the foundation for women’s greater political participation. However, this decision notably excluded women of colour, including Indigenous women and women of Asian descent.

According to Sunera Thobani, professor in the Department of Asian Studies at the University of British Columbia, the result has been an uneven narrative about the advancement of women’s rights in Canada. She argues that there needs to be a greater focus on the rights of women of colour and more support for their progress.

An uneven narrative about the rights of women

“Middle-class white women secured their own personhood and their rights in this transformation that took place in 1929,” Thobani says. “But what’s important is that the white women who fought for this right didn’t even think of [women of colour] as real women.”

Her perspective highlights how women of colour, including those from Indigenous and Asian descent, did not obtain the right to vote until much later. According to The Canadian Encyclopedia, even when the right was legally granted, other factors, such as regional isolation, made it difficult for them to exercise this right. The professor emphasizes that despite the existence of feminism in Canada, these women were not included in the legal understanding of women as persons.

“Since then, [they] have been fighting against this racialisation that is embedded in the structure of citizenship [as well as] the feminist movements in this country,” she adds. “Certainly, there have been many changes, but these inequalities amongst women continue to be reproduced.”

The root of the issue

One of the biggest issues faced by Canadian women of colour, Thobani argues, is that they are often alienated and seen as outsiders despite holding Canadian citizenship. She explains that Canada continues to define itself through its British and French colonial heritage, which determines who is considered a “real” Canadian – those of British, French or European descent. This marginalization of non-white groups lays the groundwork for ongoing discrimination and injustices against women of colour.

“Many are second- or third-generation [Canadians],” she points out. “Yet, in state discourses, political terms, and social terms, they get constructed as immigrant communities.”

Even though Canada embraces multiculturalism and celebrates its diverse heritage, Thobani argues that the concept often masks ongoing racial inequalities. Racial hierarchies and discrimination continue under the guise of cultural diversity, reinforcing systemic challenges.

She contends that the struggles women of colour face are deeply intertwined with broader systems of racial and gendered discrimination that persist today. Even within gender equality movements, they are often marginalized, as these movements typically privilege whiteness, which further exacerbates the exclusion and marginalization of women of colour.

When asked about her hopes for her students, Thobani wishes that they understand racialisation as a historical process. She encourages students to recognise how racial hierarchies are constructed and to see how these same patterns continue to be perpetuated today.

“I hope my students will learn from the [historical struggles] of women of colour and Indigenous women,” she says. “And [I hope] they try to think about how they might advance ‘this resistance’ in their own lives, careers, and academic and professional work.”

For more information on Persons Day, see https://www.canada.ca/en/women-gender-equality/commemorations-celebrations/womens-history-month/persons-day.html