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 Madeleine Parent

“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.

About the design

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.

Product # 414220131

Quebec Feminists – Madeleine Parent: Official First Day Cover