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A Liberal-Labour Lady: The Times and Life of Mary Ellen Spear Smith
A biography of Mary Ellen Spear Smith , the British Empire’s first female cabinet member.
Mary Ellen Spear Smith (1863–1933), the first female cabinet minister in the British Empire, left a significant and complex legacy. A miner’s daughter, Smith pioneered the women’s suffrage movement in Canada and campaigned on behalf of a nascent labor movement in parliament, even as she embraced the white supremacy and bourgeois ideals of the Empire. Through the story of this intrepid politician, A Liberal-Labour Lady captures the uneven struggle for justice in turn-of-the-century Canada.
Mary Ellen Spear Smith (1863–1933), the first female cabinet minister in the British Empire, left a significant and complex legacy. A miner’s daughter, Smith pioneered the women’s suffrage movement in Canada and campaigned on behalf of a nascent labor movement in parliament, even as she embraced the white supremacy and bourgeois ideals of the Empire. Through the story of this intrepid politician, A Liberal-Labour Lady captures the uneven struggle for justice in turn-of-the-century Canada.
264 pages, Hardcover
Published December 20, 2021
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February 9, 2023
Veronica Strong-Boag’s book, A Liberal-Labour Lady: The Times and Life of Mary Ellen Spear Smith documents the personal and political life of the first female Member of the Legislative Assembly in British Columbia. Following Mary Ellen Spear Smith’s involvement in politics; beginning in the mining villages in Northumberland, England, through the family’s immigration to Nanaimo, British Columbia, her role of supporting her husband Ralph Smith through his political career, and eventually starting her own. The basic idea of this book is to outline Mary Ellen Spear Smith’s life, mainly her rises and falls in politics, her criticisms and how she dealt with them, and the pressure she faced as a government official in a system made up of, and prioritized the needs of, men. It commends her determination in defending women’s causes, and remarks that her legacy need be regarded as significant in reforming democracy in Canada. She faced relentless criticism and misogyny on her journey blazing a trail for women in Canadian politics.
Staying factual, the book does not shy away from Mary Ellen’s controversial stances, often noting her British nationalism as including racist notions of white supremacy, the exclusion and segregation of Asian and Indigenous peoples, and her enthusiasm for eugenics. The exploration of her contradictory ideology as a progressive feminist and labour advocate, while holding exclusionary views toward ethnic minorities is very compelling and broadens the narrative of the book, but is not heavily analyzed, probably for lack of information.
The evidence the author uses to support her claims about Mary Ellen Spear Smith are largely quotations from BC newspapers like the Cranbrook Herald, Vancouver Sun, British Columbia Federationist, and Vancouver World. These sources provide specific and further context as to how she was perceived by her supporters and opposers, including how she was displayed in political cartoons.
The author succeeds in her attempt to accurately communicate Mary Ellen’s story, and explains the importance of why it needed to be shared. Through the well-researched history of her life, the reader receives clear insights into her personality and character, and how she fought to improve the lives of her electors. The author also succeeds in informing the reader on the arduous journey Mary Ellen took up in becoming an MLA. Having a detailed description of the politics of the time period she was in, her focuses of fighting for women’s suffrage, a minimum wage, mothers’ pensions, equality of marriage, and obviously the role of women in the political sphere, become even more remarkable.
The impact of this book will be a deeper understanding of Mary Ellen Spear Smith, her experiences, as well as other suffragists of the time, the perspectives of their opposition, and the political setting of Canada at this time in general. Covering a wide range of ideas and events from over a century ago, the ability of the author to write history in a way readers are able to understand and engage with is nothing short of impressive. This book provides an outstanding scope of topics, explores them at a significant depth, and gives the reader room to interpret its complicated subject.
Staying factual, the book does not shy away from Mary Ellen’s controversial stances, often noting her British nationalism as including racist notions of white supremacy, the exclusion and segregation of Asian and Indigenous peoples, and her enthusiasm for eugenics. The exploration of her contradictory ideology as a progressive feminist and labour advocate, while holding exclusionary views toward ethnic minorities is very compelling and broadens the narrative of the book, but is not heavily analyzed, probably for lack of information.
The evidence the author uses to support her claims about Mary Ellen Spear Smith are largely quotations from BC newspapers like the Cranbrook Herald, Vancouver Sun, British Columbia Federationist, and Vancouver World. These sources provide specific and further context as to how she was perceived by her supporters and opposers, including how she was displayed in political cartoons.
The author succeeds in her attempt to accurately communicate Mary Ellen’s story, and explains the importance of why it needed to be shared. Through the well-researched history of her life, the reader receives clear insights into her personality and character, and how she fought to improve the lives of her electors. The author also succeeds in informing the reader on the arduous journey Mary Ellen took up in becoming an MLA. Having a detailed description of the politics of the time period she was in, her focuses of fighting for women’s suffrage, a minimum wage, mothers’ pensions, equality of marriage, and obviously the role of women in the political sphere, become even more remarkable.
The impact of this book will be a deeper understanding of Mary Ellen Spear Smith, her experiences, as well as other suffragists of the time, the perspectives of their opposition, and the political setting of Canada at this time in general. Covering a wide range of ideas and events from over a century ago, the ability of the author to write history in a way readers are able to understand and engage with is nothing short of impressive. This book provides an outstanding scope of topics, explores them at a significant depth, and gives the reader room to interpret its complicated subject.
Displaying 1 of 1 review