HISTORY

THE HISTORY OF WOMEN, WOMEN FARMERS AND THE UPA

A recap of some key victories offers historical perspective, as these advances are both recent and fragile. These are the battles won by our mothers, grandmothers and great-grandmothers who achieved a fairer and more equal society.

TIMELINE

This timeline retraces the battles waged to win women farmers agricultural property rights comparable to those of men.

WINS

What the AQ has accomplished for agriculture:

  • 1924

    Founding of the Union catholique des cultivateurs (UCC, the Catholic farmers’ union).

    On the heels of an economic crisis, some 2,400 farmers meet in Quebec to found the UCC. “This has been one of the most joyous occasions in recent memory. And let us never forget the hardships endured to make the birth of this entirely reasonable ‘Union’ possible. It is born and it deserves to live. And we must have the fervent will to keep it alive.” (L’Action française, 1924)

  • Founding of the La Terre de chez nous newspaper.

    1929

  • 1931

    Women married in a community of property regime gain possession of their wages and the assets they acquire with them.

  • Married women can now open a bank account in their own name.

    1934

  • 1940

    Women in Quebec win the right to vote and the right to run in provincial elections.

    “Thérèse Casgrain’s suffragettes spent years fighting to win women the right to vote in Quebec. From 1922 to 1939, the National Assembly [Quebec’s parliament] rejected 13 bills for women’s suffrage.”

  • Passing of the Compulsory Education Act (Loi de l’instruction obligatoire). The law makes school mandatory until the age of 14, with a positive effect on schooling for girls.

    1943

  • 1956

    Act respecting the marketing of agricultural products (Loi sur la mise en marché des produits agricoles).

  • The federal government approves the sale of the contraceptive pill.

    1960

  • 1964

    Quebec passes employment discrimination legislation.

  • Quebec passes the Act respecting the legal capacity of married women (Loi sur la capacité juridique de la femme mariée).

    The enactment of Bill 16, amending women’s civil rights, ends the legal incapacity of married women and reins in marital powers and paternal authority—spouses are henceforth considered partners in the moral and material direction of the family.

    1964

  • 1964

    The Parent Report democratizes education, helping women access post-secondary and professional studies. It recommends co-education and free education.

  • The federal parliament passes the Divorce Act, expanding the right of divorce: from now on, adultery is no longer the sole approved grounds for divorce.

    The Act recognizes physical or mental cruelty as sufficient grounds to file for and obtain a divorce.

    1968

  • 1970

    Quebec Health Insurance Plan and the Health and Social Services Network.

  • Maternity benefits program under the federal unemployment insurance program.

    1971

  • 1972

    Farm Producers Act (Loi des producteurs agricoles).

    The UCC changes its name to the Union des producteurs agricoles. The UPA is recognized as the official representative of all agricultural producers in Quebec. It gains the power to withhold mandatory dues and contributions.

  • First abortion clinics, acquittal of Dr. Henry Morgentaler.

    1972-1975

  • 1974

    A research committee of the Association féminine d’éducation et d’action sociale (AFEAS, the women’s association for education and social action) conducts a survey on the status and situation of women who work in their husbands’ businesses, without pay or recognition. It reveals that all women working with their husbands in small businesses face common challenges and that action is needed.

  • Quebec Charter of Human Rights and Freedoms.

    1975

  • 1978

    The Act respecting labour standards (Loi sur les normes du travail) and legal measures to protect workers who are pregnant or exercising their right to maternity leave.

  • During the General Congress of the UPA, three representatives from each of the regional federations attend a workshop for women business partners to define business partners status.

    1979

  • 1980

    The new Civil Code recognizes spousal equality.

  • The General Congress strikes a committee on women business partners to study the role and status of the wives of agricultural producers within the UPA. This committee concludes that the status of women in the UPA must be that of agricultural producers.

    1980

  • 1981

    Right to preventive leave for pregnant or breastfeeding workers (CSST, the occupational health and safety commission).

  • The General Congress of the UPA accepts the committee’s recommendation to hold a provincial symposium on women in agriculture.

    1981

  • 1983

    Provincial day of study on the status of women in agriculture.

    On this occasion, participants ask the UPA to form committees in every region of Quebec, with technical and financial support from the UPA, which it accepted.

  • Act respecting farm financing (Loi sur le financement agricole).

    This eliminates the discriminatory clause that excluded a wife’s right to the start-up subsidy, marking a major step forward in equality for the agriculture sector. Wives aged 40 and up are, however, still denied access to property rights.

    1986

  • 1987

    Foundation of the Fédération des agricultrices du Québec.

    This ensures that farming women and men share in the day-to-day work not only on the farm, but also in decision-making.

  • The Matrimonial Property Act (Loi sur le patrimoine familial) prescribes dividing the value of the family property in equal parts after separation of the couple.

    1989

  • 1989

    Recognition of spouses working on the farm as employees.

  • At the General Congress, Quebec Minister of Agriculture Yvon Picotte announces that the property access program will apply to spouses aged 40 and up.

    1990

  • 1993

    Marketing mission to France, with the participation of 10 women farmers from Quebec.

  • A declaration in Manitoba officially recognizes the socio-economic value of the contribution of women farmers.

    1994

  • 1995

    Automatic child support payments.

  • Universal health insurance system.

    1996

  • 1996

    Pay Equity Act (Loi sur l’équité salariale).

  • Women’s Global Charter for Humanity.

    2005

  • 2005

    CSST (occupational health and safety commission) award in the Initiatives de prévention à la ferme (on-farm prevention initiatives) competition for creation of a poster.

  • Lobbying campaign to win the right to maternity leave for women farmers (QPIP). All self-employed women benefit from this right.

    2006-2008

  • 2007

    Gender parity in the Quebec cabinet for the first time in history.

  • The Ministère de l’Agriculture, des Pêcheries et de l’Alimentation (MAPAQ) conducts a study entitled Les agricultrices qui sont-elles? (Women farmers: who are they?).

    2008

  • 2008

    Quebec Parental Insurance Plan (QPIP).

  • Quebec Charter of Human Rights and Freedoms amended to enshrine gender equality in the constitution.

    2008

  • 2010

    The Quebec government completes its pay equity audit.

  • Local syndicates designate positions within the UPA for women farmers and earmark extraordinary five-year UPA funding for AQ.

    2012

  • 2012

    Pauline Marois becomes the first woman elected as Premier of Quebec.

  • The National Assembly passes a unanimous motion asking the federal government to stop constantly calling abortion rights into question.

    2012

  • 2015

    Province-wide consultation on women and rural life.

Agricultrices du Québec Privacy Officer

Katherine Rousseau
Maison de l’UPA – 555, boul. Roland-Therrien
Longueuil Qc J4H 4E7
Tél. : 450 679-0540, 8469 | [email protected]