Michel Chartrand

Who was Michel Chartrand?

Michel Chartrand was an union activist and leader from Quebec.

Born in Outremont and trained as a typography and print worker, Chartrand became involved in union activism in the 1940s. During the Grande Noirceur, he took part in major strike actions such as the Asbestos Strike in 1949, the Louiseville Strike in 1952 and the Murdochville Strike in 1957. In 1968, he became president of the Montreal central council of the Confédération des syndicats nationaux. In 1970, during the October crisis, he was arrested without a warrant and put in jail for four months. He was president of the CSN Montreal central council until 1978.

During the 1980s, he took action for the rights of injured workers; he created the Fondation pour l’aide aux travailleuses et travailleurs accidentés in 1984. He promoted progressive values and syndicalism in the media until the end of his life. He endorsed Québec Solidaire.

Chartrand is considered to have been a promoter of socialism, a severe critic of capitalism and a leading figure of syndicalism in Quebec. He was married to feminist writer and union activist Simonne Monet-Chartrand.