page_title: 1902 Ontario general election
section_title: Notable candidates
hierarchical_section_title: 1902 Ontario general election / Notable candidates
caption_attribution_description: English: Portrait of Margaret Haile, Ontario Socialist League candidate in North Toronto in the 1902 provincial election in Ontario, Canada. Although she only ended up garnering 74 votes, Haile was the first female candidate for provincial office in Ontario. She may have been the first woman to run for major elected office within the entire British Empire. Haile ran for office in 1902, 15 years before women were allowed to vote in provincial elections. Her name was placed on the ballot even though it was uncertain at that time whether a woman was legally entitled to be a member of the Ontario Legislative Assembly (the first two female MPPs, Agnes McPhail and Rae Luckock, would not be elected until 1943). In 1902, the only elected office women could hope to win in Ontario was school trustee (Toronto voted in its first three female trustees in 1892), and even then only single women and widows qualified.
context_page_description: The 1902 Ontario general election was the tenth general election held in the Province of Ontario, Canada. It was held on May 29, 1902, to elect the 98 Members of the 10th Legislative Assembly of Ontario.
  The Ontario Liberal Party, led by Sir George William Ross, formed the government for a ninth consecutive term, although with only a very slim, two-seat majority in the Legislature.
  The Ontario Conservative Party, led by Sir James P. Whitney formed the official opposition.
context_section_description: Margaret Haile, a Canadian Socialist League candidate in Toronto North, made history as the first woman ever to run for political office in Canada.
caption: Margaret Haile
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