Canada Post has issued new stamps honouring three Quebec feminists who played a major role in the fight for equality and social justice.
The stamps feature Léa Roback, Madeleine Parent and Simonne Monet-Chartrand, all born in Montréal, who were lifelong advocates for women’s and workers’ rights and other causes. Their activism foreshadowed many advancements in equality and justice in Canada.
- Léa Roback (1903-2000) believed in unionization as a vehicle to stop the exploitation of female workers and embraced the peace movement.
- Madeleine Parent (1918-2012) was a trade unionist who advocated for Indigenous women and their struggle to amend the Indian Act.
- Simonne Monet-Chartrand (1919-1993) was a human rights advocate and pacifist who took on many women’s causes and organized anti-nuclear initiatives.
Designed by Paprika, the stamps feature an archival photograph of each woman. The stamps’ white borders evoke the placards carried at rallies, picket lines and marches. The stamp issue is cancelled in Montréal, where each of these influential women was born. Printed by Lowe-Martin, the stamp issue includes a booklet of six Permanent domestic rate stamps and three first-day covers.
The stamps were unveiled on Monday, Aug. 28, at a ceremony hosted by Archives nationales à Montréal.
Canadian Stamp News freelancer Richard Dagenais attended the release ceremony. A detailed report will be published in the next CSN.
The stamps and first-day covers are available at canadapost.ca and local post offices.