Peggy Parenteau was part of the Canada Post unveiling of a stamp featuring her mother, Sophie McDougall, a life-long resident of St. Louis. (Susan McNeil/paNOW)

By Susan McNeil

Canada Post Indigenous Leaders

St. Louis teacher, mother and Michif language-keeper stamps legacy at Canada Post

Jun 17, 2025 | 5:00 PM

From a teacher to mother of 13 to Michif language-keeper, one woman who spent her life in St. Louis has left her stamp on her community, her family and now her country.

Sophie McDougall, who passed away in 2023, will have her face on a Canada Post stamp that will be available for public sale on June 20, the day before National Indigenous People’s Day.

At the stamp unveiling in Prince Albert on June 17, McDougall’s daughter spoke about her mother’s legacy.

“My mom raised 13 kids. You might as well say she was a single mom. She was a strong Métis woman and my dad was always away working. That was the lifestyle, back in the day. And she kept us all together, she taught us so many things,” said Peggy Parenteau.

Gathered at the Art Hauser Centre for the unveiling were at least 140 members of McDougall’s family, all the way down to great, great-grandchildren.

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In fact, her great-granddaughter Keira McDougall is a student in St. Louis and was a co-master of ceremonies for the event.

Sophie McDougall will have her face on one of several Canada Post’s Indigenous Leaders series stamps that first started in 2022.

McDougall was chosen by Métis leaders in Saskatchewan as their nominee to stamp series because of her efforts in preserving Michif, the distinctive French/Cree language of the Métis.

She spent hours translating children’s books into Michif, which were then given to others to illustrate and are now available for viewing on the Prince Albert Métis Women’s Association website.

McDougall was born Sophie Boyer in 1928 in St. Louis, a descendant of the first five Métis families to settle there.

She trained as a teacher and had her first assignment in a tiny school in a remote area near North Battleford in 1945.

After getting married and starting her own large family, McDougall’s teaching focussed on her own children when they were young. She also served as an elder with the Prince Albert Métis Women’s Association for two decades.

She appeared in a YouTube series titled, Métis Women Stories, and was given the Order of Gabriel Dumont Gold Medal in 2023.

Of the 13 children she had, only one has moved away from the St. Louis/Prince Albert area and now lives in Alberta. Two of her daughters pre-deceased her.

“We’ve always been a close-knit family,” said Parenteau.

She said her mother would have loved seeing all of her extended family gathered in Prince Albert along with local dignitaries.

“She loved family get-togethers. That was the meaning of her life,” said Parenteau.

Members of McDougall’s family had the task of unveiling the stamp commemorating her legacy. (Susan McNeil/paNOW)

The image on the stamp is an illustration of McDougall that came from a photo provided by her family. In the background are photos of the St. Louis Parish and the original highway and railroad bridge in her hometown.

It was designed by Andrew Perro and illustrated by Jennifer Radia. The background photography came from the St. Louis Historical Society, the Provincial Archives of Saskatchewan and iStock.

The issue includes a booklet of six Permanent™ stamps, an Official First Day Cover and a souvenir sheet.

The cancellation site is St. Louis, Saskatchewan, and the cancellation mark features an illustration of an old schoolhouse bell, symbolizing the pivotal role that education played in McDougall’s life.

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susan.mcneil@pattisonmedia.com

On BlueSky: @susanmcneil.bsky.social