Over the years, women have helped shape modern-day Québec, excelling in many fields such as politics, the arts and health.
• Also read: Women around the world are protesting for their rights
• Also read: International Women’s Day: Fairness is our duty to all
• Also read: March 8, necessary and still relevant
Here are five women who have shaped the history of the province:
1. Pauline Marois (1949 – )
ROGER GAGNON / QMI AGENCY
Not only has Pauline Marois held various ministerial posts throughout her political career, but in 2012 she became the first woman to hold the post of Prime Minister within a PQ minority government. During her first speech as Quebec Prime Minister, she was the target of a political terrorist attack.
In 2014 she was defeated and left politics. In December of the same year, she was named Honorary President of the Polytechnique’s 25th anniversary celebrations.
2. Jeanne Mance (1606 – 1673)
John Gagnon
Jeanne Mance, figure of the Maisonneuve monument, work by Louis-Philippe Hébert, Place d’Armes, Montreal
Arrived with the missionaries in the New France period, Jeanne Mance founded the Hôtel-Dieu in 1644-1645. She tends to the sick and wounded in the clashes with the Iroquois and is credited with being the first lay nurse in Canada. Until her death in 1673, she dedicated herself to caring for the sick and injured.
Jeanne Mance left an enormous legacy to Quebec and Montreal society, having treated patients until 2017 after providing 375 services to the population at the Hôtel-Dieu. Some buildings of the Hôtel-Dieu regained their purpose during the Covid-19 pandemic between 2020 and 2022.
3. Therese Casgrain (1896 – 1981)
PHOTO COUR TESY/Library and Archives Canada
A powerful women’s rights activist, Thérèse Casgrain is a key figure in the fight for women’s suffrage in Quebec. She has therefore made numerous public appearances, notably on Radio-Canada and on the Dorion Commission on Women’s Civil Rights in Quebec.
At the same time, Thérèse Casgrain is involved in various charities and supports other causes to advance women’s rights.
4. Lucille Teasdale (1929 – 1996)
AgencyQMI
Lucille Teasdale, a recipient of international awards, was one of the country’s first female surgeons. She is known to have worked in humanitarian aid in Africa.
Recognized for her altruism and humanitarian determination, she was made a member of the Order of Canada and Grand Officer of the Ordre national du Québec.
5. Elsie Gibbons (1903 – 2003)
Pontiac Archives, Shawville, Quebec
Born in Ottawa, Elsie Gibbons was the first woman to be elected mayor of a Quebec municipality. On May 13, 1953, she became mayor of Portage-du-Fort after her fellow citizens elected her by acclamation and in her absence.
During her election, Elsie Gibbons found that the title “Mayor of Portage-du-Fort, Mrs. Gordon Gibbons” (Mayor of Portage-du-Fort, Mrs. Gordon Gibbons) concealed her legal personality and ditched her name in favor of the her husband. So in 1959 she had her feminized gender and functions recognized and introduced herself as “Lady Mayor, Elsie M. Gibbons” (Madame Mayor Elsie M. Gibbons).