| Name | Value |
|---|---|
| Date of Issue | August 28, 2023 |
| Year | 2023 |
| Quantity | 200,000 |
| Denomination |
 PERMANENT™ (P).Current monetary value: $0.92. |
| Series | Quebec Feminists |
| Series Time Span | 2023 |
| Postal Administration | Canada |
| Condition | Name | Avg Value |
|---|
This stamp issue honours three Quebec activists who played a major role in building a more just and equal society.
This stamp issue pays tribute to the dedicated and influential Quebec feminists who have been at the forefront of the fight for women's and workers' rights, as well as other social and economic inequalities in the province.
Their tireless efforts have shaped society, leaving a lasting impact on generations to come. The issue features powerful imagery, representing Quebec feminists' collective determination.
Léa Roback
Léa Roback (1903-2000) embraced the peace movement and saw unionization as a vehicle to stop exploitation of female workers.
Madeleine Parent
Madeleine Parent (1918-2012), a trade unionist, also advocated for Indigenous women and their struggle to amend the Indian Act.
Simonne Monet-Chartrand
Simonne Monet-Chartrand (1919-93), a defender of human rights and pacifist, took on many women’s causes and organized anti-nuclear initiatives.
Designed by Paprika, each stamp features a powerful photograph capturing the essence of these activists during the peak of their activism.
The white border surrounding the images symbolizes the placards carried proudly during protest rallies, picket lines and marches, representing their collective determination and impact in shaping a more just and equal society.
The Quebec Feminists issue honours three Quebec activists who played a major role in building a more just and equal society.
Pay tribute to the dedicated and influential Quebec feminists who have been at the forefront of the fight for women's and workers' rights, as well as other social and economic inequalities in the province.
Their tireless efforts have shaped society, leaving a lasting impact on generations to come. The issue features powerful imagery, representing Quebec feminists' collective determination.
“Solidarity … must be built if we want to change things.”
An ardent trade unionist and feminist, Montréal-born Madeleine Parent (1918-2012) was just 24 years old when she dedicated herself to improving the labour conditions of workers as a union organizer for the United Textile Workers of America (UTWA) in Quebec.
In the mid-1940s, she and her future husband, Kent Rowley, led controversial but successful factory strikes at various textile plants. Arrested and charged with seditious conspiracy, Parent was also expelled from the UTWA. She and Rowley played a key role in establishing Canadian unions, including the Canadian Textile and Chemical Union in 1952 and the Confederation of Canadian Unions in 1969.
Moving to Ontario, the couple continued to support the unionization of marginalized workers in industries that were particularly anti-union. A founding member of the National Action Committee on the Status of Women in 1972 and eloquent speaker, Parent broadened her causes to peace movements, pay equity, reproductive rights, and the rights of immigrant and Indigenous women.
In her later years, she garnered many honorary doctorates. Her commitment to improving the status of women earned her the Prix Idola-Saint-Jean from the Fédération des femmes du Québec in 1993.
This Official First Day Cover is featured in black and white. The front of the cover depicts a powerful still image, procured from Library and Archives Canada, of Madeleine Parent in 1947, speaking into a microphone at a meeting of unionized workers.
The back of the cover includes her name at the top, displayed in large capital letters, with a biography below it that includes facts about Parent and her incredible accomplishments, appearing in both French and English. The cancel location is Montréal, Quebec.
Montréal-born Madeleine Parent became aware of class divisions while she was a young boarder at the Villa Maria convent. As a student at McGill University, she campaigned for financial assistance for students from low-income backgrounds. She also met Léa Roback at McGill, who encouraged her involvement in union organization and became a mentor and long-time friend.
In 1942, Parent’s future husband, Kent Rowley, recruited her to help organize unionization for 6,000 Dominion Textile workers under the banner of the United Textile Workers of America in Quebec. In the mid-1940s, Parent and Rowley led worker strikes in Montréal, Salaberry-de-Valleyfield and Lachute, Quebec. After then-Premier Maurice Duplessis declared the Lachute strike illegal, Parent was accused of being a communist and charged with seditious conspiracy. Her conviction was later overturned on a technicality.
Parent didn’t waver. She and Rowley went on to establish the Canadian Textile and Chemical Union in 1952 and the Confederation of Canadian Unions in 1969. She remained a staunch advocate of pay equity and was a founding member of the National Action Committee on the Status of Women, where she represented Quebec for eight years. She also defended Indigenous women’s rights, including supporting Mary Two-Axe Earley and Mary Pitawanakwat and their fights against discrimination.
“Madeleine confronted the three powers – economic power, political power and the power of the clergy. And she was ostracized, literally,” says Monique Simard, a long-time friend. “She was a trade unionist, but also a declared feminist long before it became the movement we know.”
For decades, Quebec women have been at the forefront of women’s and workers’ rights and the fight to redress social and economic inequalities in their province. While the movement for women’s rights continues, the work of three Canadian women stands apart.
The new stamp issue highlights the lives and achievements of three Quebec women who were lifelong advocates for workers’ and women’s rights and other causes: Léa Roback, Madeleine Parent and Simonne Monet-Chartrand. Their activism foreshadowed many of the advancements made in equality and justice in Canada.