Lita-rose betcherman biography of mahatma

Lita-Rose Betcherman, a pioneer for women’s rights in Ontario and author of The Swastika and The Maple Leaf—the first book to explore the rise of the far-right and antisemitism in Canada died on March 9, two days after her 97th birthday.

Her pursuit of knowledge at a time when women who attended university were an anomaly gave her a unique perspective on women’s rights and fueled her passion for researching and writing—a second act in an already extraordinary career.

The Swastika and the Maple Leaf:  Fascist Movements in Canada in the Thirties, her first book, was published in 1975 and revealed a dark period in Depression-era Canada when the fascist party in Quebec although considered fringe, was still influential. 

“Our native fascists were not idealists.

They were not anti-communists.  They didn’t wan