Prohibition and Women's Rights

By: Gary Dick, posted to an internal City of Edmonton website.

If you thought 2020 was a wild ride, the early part of the 20th century was also a time of great social upheaval. Governments struggled to turn Alberta from the Wild West into a place of safety and civility. Women fought for the right to vote, to obtain an education, to work outside the home, and to be legally recognized as persons. During these years there was also a growing movement to ban the sale of alcohol.

Several factors contributed to the social unrest and disorder. Men outnumbered women in Edmonton by three to one because many farm boys moved to the city, and many of the immigrants from Europe were single men looking for a brighter future. This meant a proliferation of bars, gambling, brothels, and brawling. And the alcohol industry was almost entirely unregulated.

In 1907, the Alberta Temperance and Moral Reform League were formed with the goal of Prohibition. Their motto was, “Ban the bar.” By 1912, the United Farmers of Alberta looked like they would become a political party, and they were behind banning booze and brought many bills to the Legislature. These bills were defeated, but they divided the populace into those who support the Dry side and those who support the Wet.

Each side held rallies and marches, put up posters and billboards, and bought newspaper advertising. In 1914, the Alberta Medical Association endorsed the Dry. On the eve of the plebiscite in July 1915, a 5-kilometre-long parade of Dry supporters marched through downtown Edmonton. The Edmonton Bulletin estimated there were 12,000 people, “from tiny tots to grey-haired veterans.”  

Alberta was officially alcohol-free in 1916, and bootlegging became rampant. The many women’s movements behind prohibition showed they had influence and this helped pave the way for women’s rights. On April 19, 1916, Alberta passed the Equal Suffrage Statutory Law Amendment Act giving women the right to vote. Prohibition ended in Alberta in 1923. Although unsuccessful at ending alcohol abuse, it did pave the way for a legislated alcohol industry.