Honouring 60 years since Montrealer Gloria Baylis’ landmark victory against workplace racial discrimination

Sixty years ago, a Black nurse in Montreal made history by winning a landmark racial discrimination case. Gloria Baylis proved she had been denied a nursing job because she was Black.

The Queen Elizabeth Hotel – then operated by Hilton – is the very place where Gloria decided to take a stand. Her daughter, Françoise, who is a distinguished Research Professor Emerita at Dalhousie University and also the president of the Royal Society of Canada, shares her mother’s story.

On Sept. 1, 1964, the Act Respecting Discrimination in Employment came into effect in the province of Quebec. This new law explicitly prohibited any hiring exclusion “based on race, colour, sex, religion, national ancestry or social origin.” A day later, Gloria applied for a part-time nursing position at the Queen Elizabeth Hotel, but was turned away under the pretext that the position had already been filled.

She later discovered that the position was still vacant and that she had been discriminated against.

“That night, she was talking with her friend, and the friend said that she had an interview, and my mother said, well, how can that be? I was told that the job was filled, and her friend said, well, that’s not possible. I have an interview,” said Françoise.

“At that point, she realized something was amiss, and that’s the point at which she ends up getting in touch with folks at the Negro Citizenship Association, and a decision is made that they’re gonna use this as a test case to go forward.”

On Oct. 4, 1965, the court found that Hilton of Canada had violated the Act. For 11 years, Hilton of Canada appealed the ruling. On Jan. 19, 1977, the Court of Appeal of Quebec upheld the initial conviction, a fine of $25, and related costs.

Françoise was three years-old when the case began in 1965. But it’s only at the age of 16 that she learned her mother had been fighting this battle in silence.

“My mother was a person who just wanted to get things done. If she saw something that was important to her, if it was a project she wanted to accomplish, she figured out what she needed to do, and she took those steps,” she explained.

This case is significant because it is the first time in Canadian history that an institution had been found guilty of racial discrimination in employment.

“It was just incredible how around me and my fellow law school students at the time would call it the badass woman and then I did not really make too much of it until later on in life when I started to dig in a little bit deeper to find out you know the force of nature this woman was just an incredible story,” said Allen Alexandre, the executive director of Montreal Afro-Canadian Cultural Centre (CCAM).

“Highlighting this event today it’s an opportunity for us to really remind us that the gains that we make are in forever and I think Gloria Bales really serves as an inspiration to us.”

A conference on Monday night in Montreal, Triomphe: 60 Years of a Historic Case That Shaped Justice, offered historical insights that placed the case within the social context of the 1960s and served as a powerful reminder of where things are now.

“Women can succeed, black women can succeed, young women can succeed, older women can succeed. That’s what my mom represents to me, success. She’s a serial pioneer,” said Françoise.

There will be an exhibit to honour Gloria in Montreal at le Centre Sanaaq – called Triomphe: The Story of Gloria Clake Baylis,  held from January 29 to March 8, 20206.