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Pioneers of Feminism and Unionism: Léa Roback and Madeleine Parent
By Sophie Bissonnette, with the collaboration of Denyse Baillargeon and Andrée Lévesque, and with the support of the Réseau Québécois en Études Féministes (RéQEF) [Quebec Network for Feminist Studies]
October 2023

Sophie Bissonnette, Léa Roback, Madeleine Parent.

Table of contents of
Pioneers of Feminism and Unionism: Léa Roback and Madeleine Parent

Léa Roback and Madeleine Parent are two key figures in the history of Quebec. Filmmaker Sophie Bissonnette produced two important documentaries about them: A Vision in the Darkness and Madeleine Parent, tisserande de solidarités. Once the two films were edited, much of the interview material with the two pioneers of feminism and trade unionism remained unreleased.

Those archived documents are now available through this special project, which features a dozen hours of video clips organized by theme and accompanied by explanatory texts by two eminent historians. The interviews reveal the little-known history of women’s movements from the 1930s to the 2000s, including those of garment and textile workers, Indigenous and immigrant women, and all those who fought for fair pay and the right to abortion. Through this special project, we aim to provide insight into the lives and achievements of two exceptional women, who have inspired generations to strive for a fairer, more equitable world.

The Film Archives: A Glimpse Into a Little-Known Past, by Élisabeth Meunier
Treasures on the Cutting-Room Floor, by Sophie Bissonnette
The Importance of the Archived Footage of Léa Roback and Madeleine Parent, by Denyse Baillargeon and Andrée Lévesque