Letter

This unsigned, typed letter addressed to Marc Lalonde, the Minister of National Health and Welfare (probably a copy of the letter sent), documents Thérèse Casgrain's involvement in the movement to have Canada recognize the legal equality of the country's Aboriginal women. Dated July 18, 1975, and sent from Montreal, it is a request for the government to amend Sections 11 and 12 of the Indian Act. In the letter, Thérèse Casgrain expresses indignation at the discrimination that Aboriginal women face. "What's the point of saying that International Women's Year is a catalyst, if Canada allows Aboriginal women to be treated as second-class citizens[?] It makes absolutely no sense, especially given that the government just passed an Order in Council to enable Eskimos to hunt and fish!" She then notes that many women and their families were recently evicted from the Kahnawake reserve. In closing, Thérèse Casgrain informs the minister of her intention to take legal action in the coming days "to try to put an end to this shameful situation."