Dominion Women's Enfranchisement Association
| Formation | 1889 |
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| Type | Non-profit association |
| Purpose | Obtain the vote for women |
| Headquarters | Toronto |
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Region
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Canada |
The Dominion Women's Enfranchisement Association (DWEA) was an organization founded by Dr. Emily Howard Stowe in 1889 to fight for the right of women to vote. Later the association was renamed the Canadian Suffrage Association.
Dr. Emily Howard Stowe (1831-1903) was the first Canadian woman to practice medicine in Canada. She was not allowed to study medicine in Canada, but in 1867 obtained a degree in homeopathic medicine from the New York Medical College for Women and that year opened her homeopathy practice in Toronto. It was not until 1880 that she was granted a licence to practice medicine. In 1877 Stowe was one of the founders of the Toronto Women's Literary Guild, which managed to obtain access to some higher education for women. The Guild was renamed the Canadian Women's Suffrage Association in 1883.
In 1888 Stowe attended an international suffragette conference in Washington, D.C., United States. Fired with determination to bring new life to the movement, she founded the Dominion Women's Enfranchisement Association (DWEA) in 1889. The DWEA was among a number of Women's organizations founded around this time and run by exceptionally capable women, others being the Women's Art Association of Canada, National Council of Women of Canada, Imperial Order Daughters of the Empire (IODE), the Young Women's Christian Association (YWCA), Girls' Friendly Society of Canada, Women's Institutes and Woman's Christian Temperance Union (WCTU).
Stowe was the first president of the DWEA. She held office from 1889 until her death in 1903. Within a year of its foundation branches began to appear in different towns of Ontario. On 12–13 June 1890 the DWEA held a convention in Toronto attended by more than 100 women. Speakers included Dr. Emily Stowe and the Reverend Anna Howard Shaw, M.D. of the United States.Kathleen Blake Coleman of the Mail invited comment from her readers. She quoted one from "Pollie" at length,
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