New stamps honour three Quebec feminists

New stamps in honour of three Quebec feminists who played an important role in the struggle for equality and social justice will be unveiled next Monday by Canada Post.

They are Léa Roback, who used unionization to put an end to the exploitation of women workers. A research centre on social inequalities in health in Montreal, the Centre Léa-Roback, has been named in her honour. In addition, a street in the Saint-Henri district of Montreal and a street in the Beauport borough of Quebec City, where she lived during her youth, bear her name.

Roback died in 2000.

Union organizer Madeleine Parent, who died in 2012, is notably hailed for her defence of Indigenous women and the advancement of unions in Quebec. For many years, she campaigned for improved working conditions in the textile industry.

Finally, Simonne Monet-Chartrand, a human rights defender and pacifist, was honored in particular for her involvement in the fight against nuclear projects. She was a co-founder of the Quebec Federation of Women (FFQ) and served as deputy director of the Human Rights League and the Quebec Civil Liberties Union.

Monet-Chartrand died 30 years ago, in 1993.

Relatives of the three women will attend the ceremony, which will take place in the late afternoon at the National Archives building on Viger Street East in Montreal.

Canada Post reports that the stamps will be officially issued on the same day as the unveiling.

 

 

 

 

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- This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on Aug. 21, 2023