Elizabeth Carmichael Monk (August 4, 1898 – December 26, 1980) was a Canadian lawyer and

Montreal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...

city councillor. In 1942, she became one of the first two women admitted to the

Quebec Bar The Bar of Quebec () is the regulatory body for the practice of advocates in the Canadian province of Quebec and one of two legal regulatory bodies in the province. It was founded on May 30, 1849, as the Bar of Lower Canada (). History The begi ...

, alongside Suzanne Raymond Filion. In 1980, she was one of five recipients of the Governor General's Award in Commemoration of the Persons Case.

Early life and education

Monk was born in Montreal on August 4, 1898, to Alfred Monk, a lawyer, and Mary Elizabeth Monk. She studied at Montreal's High School for Girls. A Governor General's gold medallist, she graduated from

McGill University McGill University (French: Université McGill) is an English-language public research university in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1821 by royal charter,Frost, Stanley Brice. ''McGill University, Vol. I. For the Advancement of Learning, ...

in 1919 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in modern languages and won a scholarship to

Radcliffe College Radcliffe College was a Women's colleges in the United States, women's Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Cambridge, Massachusetts, that was founded in 1879. In 1999, it was fully incorporated into Harvard Colle ...

, where she graduated with a Master of Arts. She won the IODE overseas post-graduate scholarship for the province of Quebec and proceeded to study at

Somerville College Somerville College is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. It was founded in 1879 as Somerville Hall, one of its first two women's colleges. It began admitting men in 1994. The college's liberal tone derives from its f ...

Oxford Oxford () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and non-metropolitan district in Oxfordshire, England, of which it is the county town. The city is home to the University of Oxford, the List of oldest universities in continuou ...

. She went on to study civil law at McGill University, where she obtained her bachelor's degree in 1923 and received the Elizabeth Torrance Medal, the first woman to receive this award.

Career

Early career and activism

Despite her academic achievements, Monk could not write the bar exam as Quebec did not allow women to be admitted to the

at the time. Instead, she worked as a researcher for a law firm. In 1934, she travelled to Nova Scotia to sit for the bar exam in that province. Monk continued her work in Montreal, even though she was not recognized as a lawyer. Throughout her early career, Monk was actively involved in various women's rights organizations. In 1927, Monk co-founded the University Women's Club of Montreal and served as its president from 1932 to 1938. She also served six years as the treasurer of the

Canadian Federation of University Women The Canadian Federation of University Women (CFUW) (Canadian French, French: ''Fédération canadienne des femmes diplômées des universités CFDU') (formerly called University Women’s Club) is a non-partisan, voluntary, self-funded organi ...

and acted as legal counsel for the League for Women's Rights. Through her work with the League for Women's Rights, she submitted a brief to the

Rowell–Sirois Commission The Rowell–Sirois Commission, officially known as the Royal Commission on Dominion–Provincial Relations, was a Canadian Royal Commission that looked into the Canadian economy and federal–provincial relations. It was called in 1937 and repo ...

(1937-1938) on federal-provincial relations. In her report, she highlighted many of the injustices faced by women, which she attributed to their exclusion from provincial politics. At the time, women could not vote or run for public office in Quebec, which made them ineligible for federal positions, even though they were subject to the same civic duties as men such as paying taxes. She concluded her report by calling on the Canadian government to include a declaration in the

Constitution A constitution is the aggregate of fundamental principles or established precedents that constitute the legal basis of a polity, organization or other type of entity, and commonly determines how that entity is to be governed. When these pri ...

that explicitly condemned discrimination on the basis of gender and ethnicity.

Montreal city council

In 1940, Monk became one of the first women to sit on the Montreal City Council as a delegate of the Montreal Citizens Committee. An amendment to the ''Cities and Towns Act'' the following year extended suffrage to all women at the municipal level and granted them the right to run for office in municipal elections.

Admission to Quebec Bar

In January 1941, Monk, along with two other women –

Annie Langstaff Annie MacDonald Langstaff (6 June 1887 – 29 June 1975) was a Canadian law student, legal activist, supporter of women's suffrage and an early woman aviator. Born in Ontario in 1887, she graduated from Prescott High School and then married in ...

and Leslie Bell – submitted a plea to the General Council of the Quebec Bar Association, urging them to grant women admission to the Quebec Bar. The entry of women had been a contentious matter within Quebec's legal community and was met with “what was in some instances almost violent opposition on the part of the members of the Bar.” In March, the council voted – by a narrow margin of 12 votes in favour to 11 votes against – to call on the

Quebec Legislature Quebec is Canada's largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, New Brunswick to the southeast and a coastal border ...

to pass enabling legislation. The measure passed on April 29 and women were finally granted admission to the Quebec Bar. On January 13, 1942, Elizabeth Monk became one of the first two women admitted to the Quebec Bar, alongside Suzanne Raymond Filion, nearly 20 years after she had received her law degree. At the time, however, one of Monk's colleagues from Vallée Viens Beaudry & Fortier was representing a client in a lawsuit against the city. Under a clause in Montreal's city charter, a lawyer became ineligible to sit as a city councillor when they were involved in a legal case against the city and Monk was forced to leave her post as city councillor.

Later life and death

Monk continued to practice law up until just a few months before her death and specialized primarily in commercial and real estate law. She continued to advocate for the advancement of women, both within the legal community and Quebec society in general. She died in Montreal on December 26, 1980.

Awards and recognition

In 1955, Monk became the first Quebec woman to receive a

Queen's Counsel A King's Counsel (Post-nominal letters, post-nominal initials KC) is a senior lawyer appointed by the monarch (or their Viceroy, viceregal representative) of some Commonwealth realms as a "Counsel learned in the law". When the reigning monarc ...

designation. In 1975, Monk received an honorary doctorate in law from McGill University. In 1980, Monk was one of five recipients of the Governor General's Award in Commemoration of the Persons Case. In 2019, Monk was designated an historic personage by

Nathalie Roy Nathalie Roy (born May 8, 1964) is a Canadian politician. She is a member of the National Assembly of Quebec for the riding of Montarville, first elected in the 2012 election. From 2018 to 2022 she served as minister of Culture and Communic ...

, Quebec's Minister of Culture and Communications.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Monk, Elizabeth 1898 births 1980 deaths Alumni of Somerville College, Oxford Canadian women activists Canadian women lawyers Canadian King's Counsel Governor General's Award in Commemoration of the Persons Case winners High School of Montreal alumni Lawyers from Montreal McGill University alumni Montreal city councillors Radcliffe College alumni Women municipal councillors in Quebec