macphail, meighen, and more: the 1921 canadian federal election
Agnes Macphail, September 12, 1926. City of Toronto Archives, Globe and Mail fonds, Fonds 1266, Item 8807. Today marks the 100th anniversary of one of the most important federal elections in Canadian history. When voters cast their ballots on December 6, 1921, they elected the country's first female MP (Agnes Macphail), ended a decade of Conservative rule (under Robert Borden and Arthur Meighen), ushered in the William Lyon Mackenzie King era, and, via the Progressive Party, smashed the two-party system which had served the country since Confederation. I wrote about this campaign and its impact for TVO a few years ago , but never got around to writing a "bonus features" post like I usually do when I've gathered plenty of interesting material. The centennial of the election feels like the right time to haul research discoveries out of their slumber on my computer. Toronto Star, October 7, 1921. A cringey-from-modern-perspective profile of Macphail. Flesherton Advance...