At a time when a university education for women was considered an unnecessary whim and the right to vote remained a privilege of men, one woman from Quebec decided to challenge the established order. For more than forty years of her public life, Thérèse Casgrain fought for rights that now seem obvious, becoming an icon of Canadian feminism and a trailblazer in a male-dominated political world.
The tycoon’s daughter who rejected her assigned role
Thérèse Forget was born in 1896 into a wealthy, influential Francophone family with political and financial connections. Her father, Sir Rodolphe Forget, was a businessman, a conservative member of parliament, and a man deeply rooted in traditional views of women’s roles in society. When young Thérèse, after graduating from an exclusive boarding school, expressed a desire to continue her studies at university, her request was categorically denied.
In her father’s opinion, higher education was completely unnecessary for a woman of her social status. Instead of university, she was expected to master the art of running a household in preparation for being the wife of a wealthy man. Thérèse’s personal life was also marked by tragedy when her first fiancé died at the age of just seventeen, falling from a window while sleepwalking.
In 1916, twenty-year-old Thérèse married Pierre-François Casgrain, a liberal politician, with whom she raised four children. This marriage opened the doors to political life for her—though not in the way her husband likely expected. Instead of contenting herself with being an MP’s wife, Thérèse leveraged her new contacts to champion causes she deeply believed in.
Twenty years fighting for the right to vote
When Casgrain founded the Provincial Franchise Committee in 1921, women in Quebec were still second-class citizens. Although Canadian women gained the federal right to vote in 1918, Quebec stubbornly resisted change. Conservative circles, bolstered by the powerful Catholic Church, viewed women’s political emancipation as a threat to the traditional social order.
Casgrain threw herself energetically into activism, surprising even her allies. She wrote countless letters to influential figures, organized annual trips to the provincial capital, and used the then-novel medium of radio to spread the message of equality. In the 1930s, she hosted her own radio show, Fémina, reaching thousands of housewives with her feminist message.
From 1928, she led the League for the Rights of Women, the key engine of the suffragist movement in Quebec. Her persistence, leadership, and ability to inspire others were crucial for ultimate success. In 1938, she succeeded in including women’s suffrage in the Quebec Liberal Party’s election platform, and two years later, under pressure from feminists, Premier Adélard Godbout’s government passed the landmark law.
The first woman to lead a Canadian political party
Victory in the fight for voting rights did not mark the end of Casgrain’s political involvement. In 1946, she joined the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation, a left-wing party that would later become the New Democratic Party. As she explained in her memoirs, she long recognized the need for politics focused on the common good rather than narrow interests.
In 1951, she became leader of the Quebec branch of the party, becoming the first woman in Canadian history to head a political organization. For the next six years, she led the party, advocating for far-reaching social and economic reforms that went beyond women’s issues, including employment, health care, education, and housing reforms affecting both men and women.
In later life, Casgrain campaigned against nuclear weapons and for consumer rights. She also supported the demands of Indigenous women opposing discriminatory provisions of the Indian Act. In 1966, she co-founded the Fédération des femmes du Québec, rejuvenating the feminist movement and inspiring Francophone women throughout Canada.
Thérèse Casgrain remained politically active almost until the end of her life. In 1980, at age eighty-three, she took part in the referendum campaign against Quebec sovereignty, demonstrating her deep commitment to federalism—one of her last major public actions before her death in November 1981.
Her life stands as testimony to how determination and vision can change the course of history. From a tycoon’s daughter denied access to education, to a senator and feminist icon, Casgrain paved a path that seemed impossible in the conservative Quebec of the early twentieth century. The honors she received—including the Order of Canada and the Order of the British Empire—were only formal recognitions of achievements whose true value is measured in the rights won for millions of Canadian women.
Margot Cleverly
Margot's journey into women's history began with a box of forgotten letters in a Cambridge archive – suffragettes whose voices had been silenced for over a century. Since then, she's been on a mission to uncover the stories history overlooked.
What she writes about: Queens who ruled from the shadows. Scientists whose male colleagues took credit. Revolutionaries who risked everything. But also ordinary women – those who survived wars, raised families through upheaval, and shaped their communities in ways no one bothered to record.
Margot turns historical figures into real people. She writes with warmth and detail, making centuries-old stories feel surprisingly relevant. Rigorous research meets accessible storytelling – no dusty academic jargon, just compelling narratives backed by solid facts.
When she's not writing, you'll find her in regional archives, collecting oral histories, or visiting sites connected to the women she writes about.