She was nicknamed la pasionaria acadienne due to her engagement and defense of Acadian workers in New Brunswick, particularly in the seafood trade.
[3] For more than fifty years, Blanchard organized independent unions of workers in fish processing plants all over the Acadian peninsula.
[8] Blanchard's work with the Acadian Affiliated Fisheries Workers Union and her involvement with the Committee of 12 for Social Justice in New Brunswick led to her active participation in protests against changes to Employment Insurance in 1992 and 1994.
The protest movement helped lead to the defeat of Liberal Party candidates in the Acadian-majority ridings of Acadie—Bathurst and Beauséjour during the 1997 Canadian federal election.
[4] According to Acadian labour activist Jean-Marie Nadeau, the work of syndicalists like Mathilda Blanchard and Yvon Godin were crucial for the labor movement in New Brunswick.
But above all, certain working conditions have been able to be improved, because gains in wages have been smaller.. Blanchard was a history buff and a supporter of the British monarchy.
Director Ginette Pellerin recognized this outspoken nature, saying: I found myself facing a woman who needed to be in control of things.