Around 50 women from diverse backgrounds gathered in Saint-Louis-de-Gonzague on March 19 for a special event celebrating local women in leadership roles.
The evening, which took place at the Salle Éveline-Meloche, was organized by Beauharnois–Salaberry–Soulanges–Huntingdon MP Claude DeBellefeuille to recognize the role that women play in their respective communities, and to highlight their essential contribution to the region’s development and vitality.
“Throughout the riding and in every sector – community, business, and beyond – we have remarkable women,” said DeBellefeuille, who pointed out that of the 25 municipalities in the riding, seven are led by female mayors while an additional 14 women serve as directors general. Among the elected officials present were mayors Andrée Brosseau (Coteau-du-Lac), Mylène Labre (Saint-Clet), and Judith Fouquet (Godmanchester), along with several municipal councillors and directors general, as well as business owners, administrators, and community organizers.
For DeBellefeuille, the gathering represented an opportunity to celebrate individual achievements and the collective impact of women’s leadership, which she described as a driving force for change and a source of inspiration for future generations.
The evening included a special address from guest speaker Nicole Juteau, who became the first woman officially hired and sworn in as a police officer with the Sûreté du Québec in 1975. She spoke passionately about her experiences, from being forced to ride alone on patrol because male officers refused to work with her, to becoming a trusted and valued member of the provincial police force where she eventually worked as an undercover agent.
DeBellefeuille described Juteau as a living piece of history, noting that because of her groundbreaking refusal to give up after having been told she could not work as a police officer, around 20 per cent of the Sûreté du Québec’s officers today are women. “Just think of how many ‘Nicoles’ are behind this progress,” she concluded. (SR)