be eligible to serve in the Senate of Canada. The case is officially titled Edwards v Canada (AG) but is popularly known as the Persons Case. In 1927, the case was taken to the Supreme Court of Canada, which ruled that women were not eligible to serve in the Senate. In 1929, the ruling was appealed to the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council, Canada's highest court at the time. The Judicial Committee overturned the Supreme Court's decision, and the first woman, Cairine Wilson, was appointed to the Senate the following year. Death and honours McKinney fell ill during the WCTU World Convention in June 1931, and her sickness became worse after her return to Claresholm. She died after returning home the following month, less than two years after her victory in the Persons Case. Her death came as a shock to the WCTU, and tributes came from across the country and the world. In 1939, the government of Canada recognized McKinney as a Person of National Historic Significance. A plaque commemorating this is on display at the post office in Claresholm. In 1997, the Persons Case was recognized as a National Historic Event. In 2000, two identical monuments were created in Calgary, Alberta, and near the Senate of Canada Building, in Ottawa, Ontario. The monuments, called Women are Persons!, depict the members of the Famous Five reading the news about their victory in the Persons Case. The monuments were later featured on the $50 banknote of the Canadian Journey series. In October 2009, the Senate voted to name McKinney and the rest of the Famous Five Canada's first "honorary senators". Notes References Citations Bibliography External links Legislative Assembly of Alberta Members Listing Canadian women's rights activists Members of the United Church of Canada Women MLAs in Alberta 1868 births 1931 deaths Persons of National Historic Significance (Canada) Independent Alberta MLAs 20th-century Canadian politicians 20th-century Canadian women politicians