Jeanne Maranda's French Canadian ancestors can be traced back 400 years and there is no doubt she inherited their pioneering spirit. A feminist by instinct, Jeanne has worked hard for equal rights and the respectful portrayal of women in the media.

In the 1940's, Jeanne defied her parents wishes that she become a full-time housewife and took up a career in nursing. Born in Windsor, Ontario and raised in Ottawa, she moved to Montreal and did her post-graduate studies in neurosurgery at the Montreal Neurological Institute. After she married, she continued to work as a public health nurse until she became pregnant and was forced to quit. She remained at home with her four children.

When her husband was killed in a car accident at the age of 42, Jeanne re-entered the workforce employed by a variety of television stations and took feminist studies at Concordia University.

Length: 23:44
Original Format: Video
Originally Broadcast: June 28, 1994 on CBC Television

• Virtual Museum of New France - from the Canadian Museum of Civilization.

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Pierre Leduc (Montreal, Quebec) - has been telling stories on television since 1967. He has worked as a reporter/producer, developing stories for local and national current affairs shows on the CBC; its French counterpart, the Societe Radio-Canada; and for the CTV affliciate CFCF-TV in Montreal. Pierre always focuses on letting people tell their own stories. He sees his role as that of a facilitator - helping people bring their stories to the TV audience. {also directed: Donatien Gaudet}

"The interviews are so artfully done it seems Maranda is speaking directly to the camera as she recounts how life has treated her generation."
--Jim Bawden, Bawden's Best, Starweek Magazine, June 25, 1994