Saskatchewan’s first female MLA
The election of Saskatchewan’s first female M.L.A. was a direct result of the Spanish Flu. Sarah Ramsland’s husband, Magnus Ramsland, a Liberal M.L.A. for the Pelly constituency, died of the flu, which left his seat in the legislature vacant. The Saskatchewan Liberal government thought that Sarah Ramsland would make a good candidate for the seat in the 1919 provincial election, which would also give her an income for her and her children. Once elected, she was Saskatchewan’s first female M.L.A. This occurred three years after Saskatchewan women earned the right to vote in provincial elections, in 1916. Ramsland kept her seat until the 1925 provincial election, when she was defeated.
(to the left) Article announcing the death of MLA Magnus Ramsland -Regina Leader November 18, 1918 (above) Biographie of Sarah Ramsland produced by the Saskatchewan Diamond Jubilee and Canada Centennial Corporation – Clippings file Biographies Ramsland, Sarah Katherine
