Mathilda Blanchard

Mathilda Blanchard born Mathilda Landry (Caraquet, December 10th, 1920 - Caraquet, July 1st, 2007) was a Canadian Syndicaliste . It was called the acadian pasionaria because of its engagement to defend the workers Acadie NS, in particular those of the processing sector of the products of the fishing.

Biography

Born with Caraquet, New Brunswick, on December 10th, 1920, Mathilda Blanchard grew in a family of middle-class. In the 20 years age, it takes part in the effort of war and works in arms factories to Windsor (Ontario) and to Montreal. Failing to have sufficient financial resources to undertake academic works in right, it follows a course of hairstyle and returns in Acadie.

During more than one half-century, Mathilda Blanchard organized trade unions independent of workers in the factories of transformation of the fishing of the acadian Péninsule. Defender of the seasonal workers and people of modest means, his outspokenness imposed the respect as well at his allies as at his adversaries. Several, whose former trade unionist and deputy néo-democrat Yvon Godin compare it to the trade unionist Québécois Michel Chartrand, of which it shares the blazing style. Its anger was terrible and its word, terrifying affirm the acadian writer Rino Morin Rossignol.

Its desire of social justice and its passion for stripped, that she says to have learned it from her mother, encourage it to be implied in the trade union movement. His/her younger sister, Sylvia Landry-Blanchard was a president during 20 years of the unit 464 of the International union of the pastes and papers with Rumford, in Maine, in addition to being member of the executive of AFL-CIO in this American state. Mathilda and its sister married two brothers.

Two of his/her three children also were in the middle of the acadian fights. Michel-vital was one of the leaders of the fights coeds for the Francization of Moncton, in 1968 — whose history is told in documentary the Acadie Acadie?!? of Michel Brault — and his/her Louise daughter briefly directed the acadian Party, before her dissolution, in 1981.

Trade-union and political fights

In the middle of the Years 1960, it forms the Canadian Union of the affiliated worker and fishing industry, which will represent more: 10,000 workers. She takes part in several fights in order to improve the life of the seasonal workers of the fishing industry. In 1972, it is the figurehead of a movement to obtain programmes of economic diversification in the North-East of the New Brunswick, with the catches with a chronic unemployment.

Its work of trade-union organization within the acadian Trade union of the workers affiliated and fishings (SATAP) and its implication within the Comité of the 12 for social justice to New Brunswick leads it to take the direction of a protest movement of the changes to the mode of insurance-employment in 1996 and 1997. The protest movement causes the defeat of the liberal candidates in the acadian districts of Acadie-Bathurst and Beauséjour at the time of the Canadian federal election of 1997. It is also implied in several fights so that the workers of factory who do not obtain sufficient work hours can qualify themselves with the services during the dead season.

Mathilda Blanchard also made some incursions on the political scene. It was the first woman to stand as candidate to the direction of a political party to Canada when it aspires to the direction of the Parti progressist-conservative New Brunswick in 1969. It is demolished by Richard Hatfield, which will become Prime Minister of New Brunswick the following year. It was also independent candidate in the federal district of Gloucester to the general election of 1972, obtaining 3% of the votes.

In spite of a life passed to the service of the workers and people with modest incomes, Mrs. Blanchard was set on history and impassioned for the British monarchy. With much of coolness, it despizes protocol and obtains that the Prince de Galles him autography a book of architecture of which he was the author, at the time of its visit to the Acadian Historical Village, on April 29th, 1996.

With the cinema

The National office of film of Canada produced documentary on Mathilda Blanchard in 1997. The film, heading Mathilda, the acadian passionnaria , reports the career of the trade unionist and his taste marked for the provocation. The director, Ginette Pilgrim, remember her outspokenness: I was opposite a woman who needed to control the things. The every day, with it, it was an arm wrestling. I was continuously to negotiate with Mathilda. She wanted to control the businesses and me too. She discussed all, even the scenes which we had discussed beforehand. It was in its nature. .

Rewards

1988 - Price Seraph-Marion

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