The provincial government has come through with another $25,000 to raise up a statue of women’s suffrage leader Armine Gosling.
That’s in addition to the $40,000 the province provided to kickstart the Raise Her Up campaign in 2023.
The life-size bronze statue of Gosling, a pioneer in social reform and feminism, and who led the fight for women to vote in NL, will be unveiled in Bannerman Park in mid-June.
The exact date has yet to be revealed.
The funding comes in conjunction with the 100th anniversary of women achieving the right to vote and hold public office in Newfoundland and Labrador on April 3, 2025.
“Armine Gosling was a trailblazer, whose unwavering determination helped secure the right to vote for women in Newfoundland and Labrador,” said Pam Parsons, Minister Responsible for Women and Gender Equality.
“This statue is a testament to her courage, resilience, and the progress the Women’s Franchise League fought for, reminding us that democracy is strongest when all voices are heard.”
Dr. Margot Duley, Chair of the Armine Gosling Statue Committee, PerSIStence Theatre Company, with Pam Parsons, Minister Responsible for Women and Gender Equality, (VOCM News)
The Gosling statue, designed by Newfoundland and Labrador artist Sheila Coultas, will be the second of a historical woman to be erected in the City of St. John’s.
The first was Demasduit, a Beothuk woman (and her husband Nonosabasut, and infant son), unveiled at Confederation Building in October 2024.
Margot Duley, chair of the Armine Gosling Statue Committee, and PerSIStence Theatre Company, said the timing is significant.
“Of course it’s the 100th anniversary of getting women’s suffrage in Newfoundland, but we’re also facing very troubling threats to Canadian sovereignty and our values from the South, and so I think this statue takes on a particular resonance at this historical moment,” she said. “It’s a visible symbol of the values we hold dear as a culture and our commitment to full inclusion and equality.”
