Concern for the development of the whole person, and a deep desire to help women rediscover their dignity and become agents of change in their environment, motivated the participation of the SNJM religious in the Bread and Roses March.
Sister Claudette Bastien, a member, among others, of the Comité d’action contre la traite humaine interne et internationale (CATHII), remembers participating enthusiastically in the march in 1995. “Some of us couldn’t get away from our regular jobs for too long. So we set up a relay team where four people each walked for two days to experience this great adventure.” In addition to Sr Claudette, there were sisters Huguette Fleurant and Françoise Bernard, and a lay person, Ginette Ouellette, a member of the Justice and Peace Committee of the Sector-Missions. Other sisters, including Denise Girard, Marthe d’Aoust, Claire Fitzgibbon, Jeannine Cornellier, Simone Perras and Éliane André, took part in either the launch or closing day, or both.
During the 1995 March, religious from the Motherhouse in Outremont marched through the huge convent in solidarity with the marchers. In Longueuil, the convent hosted marchers from Abitibi. The religious also lent a vehicle to the organizers.
The Bread and Roses March left its mark on Quebec history. It was also a source of inspiration at the 4th UN World Conference on Women in Beijing in 1995, attended by Jeannine Cornellier, SNJM. The International Collective of the World March of Women was created in 2000. Since then, it has been held every five years (with the exception of the year 2020, because of the pandemic).
