Since its founding in 1939, our Movement has waged vigorous campaigns to improve the situation of families and has achieved several victories. We are pleased to recall here the campaign that MICHAEL led in the 1980s to demand an annual income of $12,000 for stay-at-home mothers.
This campaign began in 1984 (just before the Holy Father's visit to Canada) with the Charter of the Rights of the Family, given to us by our good Pope, Saint John Paul II, in October 1983. All the articles of the Charter are important, but especially Article 10, which concerns the work of the stay-at-home mother. It reads as follows:
"Remuneration for work must be sufficient for establishing and maintaining a family with dignity, either through a suitable salary, called a "family wage," or through other social measures such as family allowances or the remuneration of the work in the home of one of the parents; it should be such that mothers will not be obliged to work outside the home to the detriment of family life and especially of the education of the children. The work of the mother in the home must be recognized and respected because of its value for the family and for society."
The directors and members of MICHAEL were immediately inspired by the Holy Father's message: to demand sufficient remuneration for the family. This struggle lies at the very heart of the mission of MICHAEL.
The movement then undertook to print one-and-a-half million leaflets on the Charter of the Rights of the Family. To distribute them, our pilgrims — fathers and mothers of families, their children, and even grandparents — gave themselves generously, without pay, travelling through the cities and villages of their regions. The years 1985–86 were, for MICHAEL, two years of intense apostolate for the rights of the family.
After informing families of their right to sufficient remuneration, it was time to challenge our governments. Our directress, Mrs. Gilberte Côté-Mercier, in agreement with all the Pilgrims, launched a petition demanding $12,000 per year for stay-at-home mothers.
Municipal elected officials were asked to adopt a resolution in support of the $12,000 for mothers; this resolution was sent to 4,600 municipalities across Canada.
Thousands of petitions were signed, and hundreds of municipalities adopted our resolution. Even newspapers began speaking about the "$12,000 for mothers." Here are a few excerpts:
- "The White Berets believe it would be preferable to give $12,000 to stay-at-home mothers rather than increase daycare subsidies…" — Progrès-Dimanche, Chicoutimi.
- "An Action Committee on the Status of Women has accused senior Canadian officials of sabotaging government efforts to introduce pension plans for homemakers…" — La Tribune, Sherbrooke, June 14, 1986.
- "Stay-at-home wives should receive a salary of $12,000… A Montreal Catholic group wants all Canadian housewives to receive an allowance of $12,000 per year." — Daily News, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Aug. 14, 1986.
- "The cost of placing one child in a care centre is $50,000 per year… It costs the government three times more to place children than to assist the mother directly." — L'Actualité, October 1987.
The population supported us in demanding $12,000 for stay-at-home mothers. Although our petitions were addressed to the federal government in Ottawa, the first results came from Quebec: Premier Bourassa granted $500 for the first child, $500 for the second, and $3,000 for the third child in 1987, stating, "This is only the beginning." In 1988, the allowance for the third child increased to $4,500.
You won public opinion, dear pilgrims! When the people are informed and organized, politicians are obliged to yield.
We needed to reach more families to demand the $12,000 for mothers. In 1988, our directors decided to hold congresses throughout French Canada. Mr. Gérard Mercier wrote:
"Our pilgrims will cover the country with regional congresses; we will proclaim Christ the King and the $12,000 for stay-at-home mothers… Heaven wills it! The family is a divine institution… Heaven will work the miracle when there are enough rosaries and apostolate."
Our pilgrims walked throughout Quebec, New Brunswick, and Ontario to prepare these congresses. In each region, they installed large banners reading: "Let us demand $12,000 per year for stay-at-home mothers." They visited thousands of families, presented them with the Charter of the Rights of the Family, gathered signatures for the $12,000 petition, and in every home asked to pray a decade of the Rosary.
The reports of this apostolate were inspiring:
Did you know that MICHAEL won this battle? I myself was astonished to discover that in 2026 families receive nearly three times the amount we demanded in the 1980s. It is not called "income for the stay-at-home mother," but it is an amount that allows a mother or father to remain at home and educate their children.
These allowances are calculated according to family income.
For a family with three children and a family income of $37,000, they receive the maximum:
For a family income of $60,000, still with three children, the allowances are around $28,000.
Recently, a mother told me that it is thanks to these allowances that she is able to keep her children at home rather than sending them to daycare. That is undoubtedly the case for many families.
What a beautiful struggle! Thank you to MICHAEL, and thank you to all the pilgrims who walked for this noble cause!
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