Elsie fact #25: The Royal Commission on the Status of Women (RCSW)

 In 1967, the Government of Canada established The Royal Commission on the Status of Women (RCSW). Elsie MacGill was one of the commissioners selected to serve on this important commission. Why was she chosen? A number of reasons:

-she was a business and professional woman and could represent their voices,

-she was a self-declared feminist (the only one at the start of the commission),

-she had significant leadership experience in business and as a social activist, and

-she was originally from Vancouver, British Columbia providing some important regional representation.

The Report of the Royal Commission on the Status of Women was tabled in parliament in 1970, and it was was an extremely important document for its time. While it missed a lot of important aspects from our perspective today, and was even challenged by some of the commissioners who who helped produce it, within its proper historical context it represents an important aspect of Canadian social history.