In the Latin America Park in Quebec City stands the bust of Juana Azurduy de Padilla, a Bolivian heroine of the 19th century who fought the Spanish for the independence of Bolivia and Argentina. The youth of Bolivia commissioned the Bolivian sculptor Xavier Portugal to create the bust and gifted it to the youth of Quebec. On February 23rd, 2010, the Minister of Transport and Minister responsible for the Capitale-Nationale region, Sam Hamad, unveiled it at the Observatoire de la Capitale, and on September 22nd, 2010, it was officially dedicated at the park by the Ambassador of Bolivia to Canada, Edgar Torrez Mosqueira, and the Deputy Minister of the Ministère des Relations Internationales, François Turenne. Azurduy de Padilla’s bust is the only one honoring a woman among the statues and busts in the park. The French inscription on the pedestal reads in English translation: JUANA AZURDUY DE PADILLA (1780-1862) The heroine of Bolivian independence, Juana Azurduy de Padilla, commanded the forces of the Republiqueta de La Laguna and supported its Argentine allies. The embodiment of sacrifice, She dedicated herself to the fight for freedom, losing four children in the fury of battle. Her example guides the sons and daughters of Latin America in their quest for a just and inclusive world. This bust is offered to Quebec youth by the Consorcio Boliviano de Juventudes. SEPTEMBER 2010 Juana Azurduy de Padilla was born to a Spanish father and indigenous mother in 1780 in Chuquisaca (modern-day Sucre, Bolivia). Orphaned at a young age, she spent her early years under the care of nuns in the Santa Teresa convent until she got expelled for her rebellious spirit. In 1802, she married Manuel Padilla, with whom she had four children that she would tragically lose in the years to come. The Padillas joined the rebel forces and fought for independence from the Spanish in 1809. After the Spanish regained control in 1811, they took hold of the Padillas’ land and captured Azurduy de Padilla and her children; Manuel eventually rescued them, and they returned to the fight. Azurduy de Padilla organized the indigenous people’s army and led pivotal victories, including the 1813 Battle of Ayohuma. When her husband was killed in 1816, the widowed and pregnant Juana took her children into the wilderness, gathered forces, and returned to retrieve her husband’s body. In 1818, she rejoined the army under Martín Gümes as the commander of the Northern Army of the Revolutionary Government of the United Provinces of the Rio de la Plata. Azurduy de Padilla and her forces attained an independent zone between Argentina and Upper Peru until the Spanish withdrew. Impoverished after Bolivia’s independence in 1825, when her family property claims were ignored, Azurduy de Padilla died in poverty in Jujuy in 1862. A century later, her heroism received its rightful acclaim, becoming a Bolivian heroine officially. Read more...

At the bottom of the Louis Hébert Monument, which honors the early European settlers of Quebec, stands the bronze statue of Marie Rollet, Hébert’s wife, and their three children. It was unveiled on September 3rd, 1918, in Parc Montmorency in Quebec City, where the Rollet-Hébert’s land used to be. Marrie Rollet (~1850-1649) was the first Frenchwoman to settle in New France and its first female farmer. She was born in Paris to an upper-middle-class family, studied at a convert, and knew how to read and write (a rare skill for a woman in the 16th century). In 1601, she married the apothecary Louis Hébert (the ancient equivalent of a pharmacist); they lived in Paris with their three children: Anne, Guillemette, and Guillaume. In March 1617, following a contract Hébert signed with the Company of New France, they left France for Quebec City. After three months of a challenging voyage on the Saint-Étienne ship, they arrived in New France. The family settled in Cape Diamond and built and operated their farm. Hébert treated the settlers and the First Nation people, and later on, the king nominated him as the justice administrator of the colony. In 1627, Hébert died in an accident (slipped on a patch of ice), and shortly after, Rollet married Guillaume Huboust. In the Anglo-French War (1627-1629), many settlers returned to France; Rollet and her family stayed and used their corps to feed those in need. In 1633, Quebec returned to France, and new settlers arrived at the colony; Rollet and her family welcomed and helped them settle in, teaching them about life in the new country. She also educated the Indigenous schoolchildren who were under the care of the Jesuits. Rollet passed away in May 1649 at the age of 69 and was survived by her husband, daughter, and many grandchildren. Read more...

At the south entrance to the Quebec National Assembly stands a monument honoring the pioneer women who led the fight for voting rights in Quebec and the first woman elected to the assembly – Monument en hommage aux femmes en politique. From left to right are: Marie Gerin Lajoie, Idola St. Jean, Therese Forget-Casgrain, and Marie-Claire Kirkland. The Canadian federal government granted women the right to vote in 1918, and following the Person case decision in 1929, women could get elected to the Senate. Quebec was the last province to grant women their right to vote and run for office in the provincial election only in 1940 after 20 years of struggle. Four years later, women voted for the first time in provincial elections in Quebec. The women who led this fight are depicted in this monument: Thérèse Casgrain (1896-1981) was a mother of four, a feminist, and a politician. She led the Comité du suffrage provincial (Provincial Suffrage Committee), which in 1929 became the Ligue des droits de la femme (League for Women’s Rights). After winning the right to vote, she stayed in politics at provincial and national levels. Idola Saint-Jean (1880-1945) was an educator, journalist, and women’s rights leader. She established and led the Alliance Canadienne pour le vote des femmes au Québec (Canadian Alliance for Women’s Vote in Québec), edited its journal, and even ran for federal election for the cause of suffrage. She died several months after voting for the first time. Marie Lacoste Gérin-Lajoie (1867-1945) was Université de Montréal professor, a prominent feminist and mother of four. She co-founded the Comité provincial du suffrage féminin (the provincial committee for women’s suffrage), and co-chaired it. Next to the three suffrage leaders stands the statue of Marie-Claire Kirkland-Casgrain (1924-2016). Kirkland was the first woman elected to the National Assembly of Quebec in 1961, the first woman Cabinet minister in Quebec, the first woman appointed acting premier, and the first woman judge to serve in the Quebec Provincial Court. She promoted bills to improve women’s rights and the establishment of Québec’s Conseil du Statut de la femme, a council on the status of women in 1973. As part of the 50th-anniversary celebrations of Kirkland becoming Canada’s first female minister, the artist Jules Lasalle created the sculptures. The monument was unveiled on December 5th, 2012, by Québec premier Pauline Marois, the first woman elected to this position. Read more...