The Quebec Feminists issue honours three Quebec activists who played a major role in building a more just and equal society.

About Quebec Feminists

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.

About Léa Roback

“What’s important is learning to be human, learning that we are all alike.”

Born in Montréal, Quebec, to Polish Jewish immigrants, Léa Roback (1903-2000) was a lifelong activist for social and economic equality. Her awareness of inequities came as a teenager working her first job at British American Dyeworks, where a 50-hour week under harsh conditions earned her a mere eight dollars.

After moving to Berlin in 1929, she joined the Communist Party, seeing it as the only movement to stand up to fascism and to take action to improve people’s lives.

Returning to Canada three years later, she directed her energies to unionization as a vehicle to stop the exploitation of female workers, beginning in Montréal’s garment industry.

In 1937, she and other International Ladies’ Garment Workers Union leaders mobilized some 5,000 women to walk off the job in a three-week strike that resulted in improved wages and working conditions.

In her progressive and steadfastly optimistic vision of a better world, Roback continued to organize for causes such as peace, disarmament, abortion rights and pay equity.

Created in 1993 in her honour, the Léa Roback Foundation provides scholarships to women with low income who are socially engaged. In 2000, Roback was appointed a Knight of the Ordre national du Québec.

About the design

This Official First Day Cover is featured in black and white. The front of the cover depicts a heartwarming snapshot of Léa Roback on the set of A Vision in the Darkness with filmmaker Sophie Bissonnette, in 1991.

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 Roback and her incredible accomplishments, appearing in both French and English.

The cancel location is Montréal, Quebec.

Product # 414219131

Quebec Feminists – Léa Roback: Official First Day Cover