Photo: Michele Stanton-Jean  

The evolution of women's health and well-being policies in Quebec (PANEL)

(Translated title)

This conference is part of the Montréal Health Ethics Lecture Series 2025

(This conference will be held in French)

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To attend this Zoom event, please register by following this link.

You can also attend this conference in person.

To see past conferences: YouTube channel of the Pragmatic Health Ethics Research Unit.

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Biography of Louise Harel:
Born in 1946 in Sainte-Thérèse-de-Blainville, daughter of historian Roger Harel and hairdresser Mignonne Laroche, she obtained her Bachelor of Arts in 1965 and studied sociology before earning a law degree from the Université de Montréal in 1977. She was admitted to the Quebec Bar in 1978. Involved in the social and political movement, she worked for the Conseil de développement social du Montréal métropolitain, then for the Centre des services sociaux de Montréal. A feminist activist, she was vice-president of the Union générale des étudiants du Québec in 1968 and an active member of the Fédération des femmes du Québec. She became a permanent member of the national secretariat of the Parti québécois (PQ) and held a number of important positions, including MNA in several ridings, Minister and President of the National Assembly. After her parliamentary career, she became leader of Vision Montréal and was elected city councillor. She is also involved in voluntary activities and consultative roles, while receiving numerous honors, including the Grand Cross of the Ordre de la Pléiade, the Medal of Honor of the National Assembly, and an honorary doctorate in 2024.

Biography of Michele Stanton-Jean:
Michèle Stanton-Jean is a research associate at the Centre de recherche en droit public of the Université de Montréal. She holds a master's degree in history, a master's degree in adult education and a doctorate in applied human sciences (bioethics option). She has held numerous positions in the senior public service of the Quebec and federal governments, as well as in international organizations, including Deputy Minister of Health for Canada (1993-1998), Chair of UNESCO's International Bioethics Committee (2002-2005), Quebec representative to UNESCO (Paris) from 2011 to 2014, Special Advisor to the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Canada on Health and Social Affairs, Permanent Mission of Canada to the European Union in Brussels (1998-2000). She was President of the Commission of Inquiry on Adult Vocational and Sociocultural Training 1980-1982.

She is the author and co-author of numerous books and articles on education, health and bioethics, including Histoire des femmes au Québec depuis quatre siècles, Avec Marie Lavigne: Idola Saint-Jean, L'Insoumise and Joséphine Marchand and Raoul Dandurand, Amour, politique et féminisme. As well as: Durocher, R. & Jean, M. (1971). Duplessis and the Royal Commission on Constitutional Problems, 1953-1956. Revue d'histoire de l'Amérique française, 25(3), 337-363.

She is particularly interested in the development and implementation of public policies, the history of education, and citizen participation.

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2025 SERIES THEME

Ethnical issues related to women's health and well-being