Many women had won the federal vote in 1918,
but in Quebec we were still fighting for our rights.
Men in government, and the church, made sure of that.
Hundreds of us marched on parliament
in Quebec City every year.
I was lucky to come from a wealthy political family.
A privilege many who fought before me -
and alongside me - did not have.
We used my connections to convince politicians
to present suffrage bills to the legislature.
For years, we made the same trip to Quebec City.
Each time they told us no.
But we were determined to see this fight through.
We used every chance we could to gather support,
especially in the media.
Some of our English suffragist sisters often acted
like we weren’t fighting the same battle.
But when we founded the League for Women’s Rights,
they stood by our side.
After decades of work, we finally convinced
the Liberal Party of Quebec to include women’s suffrage as part of their platform.
And it worked. In 1940, the bill passed.
By the next election, Quebec women had a say in provincial politics.
I believe that if one section of humanity is held back,
or suffers, the whole community suffers.
So, in working for the women of Quebec,
it was not specifically for women, but the community.
