MINUTES – 76th Quebec Regional Council

Delegates

AHAD, Élie – Retired

AMER, Mahmoud – CS, SSC

BISSON, Jean-Denis – AV, CSA

BOUFFARD, Alexandre – AFS, CRA

BOURASSA, Marie-Michèle – SP, DFO

CAISSY, Denis – CS, DND

CAMPANOZZI, David – AFS, CRA

CHARPENTIER, Ian – AFS, CRA

CINQ-MARS, Nancy – AFS, CRA

CLAVET, Dominic – AFS, CRA

DAHBI-SKALI, Hassan – NR, DND

D’ALCANTARA, Sylvie – S&A, CFIA

D’AMOURS, Erick – CS, SSC

DARAÎCHE-LEBLANC, Miguel – CS, ECCC

DOYLE, Richard – SH, CSC

Drouin, Gabriel – SH, CSC

DUBÉ, Lucie – AFS, CRA

DUMÉ, Mona Lisa – SH, CSC

DUPLÉSSIS, Melissa – RE, AAFC

EAST, Richard – AFS, CRA

FINETTE, Olivier – AFS, CRA

FORTIN, Vincent – RE, ECCC

FRECHETTE, Stéphanie – S&A, CFIA

FRÉCHETTE, Steven – CS, CSC

GABOURY, Christian – CS, SSC

GAUTHIER, Jean-Pierre – AFS, CRA

GIOLTI, Giovanni – CS, CSA

GRÉGOIRE, Guylaine – AFS, CRA

GUERTIN, Mario – AV, DND

GUIARD, Renaud – CS, PSPC

HASSISSENE, Nora – VM, CFIA

JASMIN, François – AFS, CRA

LANDRY, Hugo – CS, ECCC

LANDRY, Kaven – AFS, CRA

LAROCQUE, Lyne – AV – ISDEC

LAVAUD, Florcy – SH, CSC

LAVIGNE, Sonia – SH, CSC

LEDUC, Pierre-Yves – SH, CSC

LEMAY, Christine – AFS, CRA

MADIKAMA, Binana – S&A, CFIA

MANSEAU, Liette – AFS, CRA

MANSUY, Nicolas – RE, NRCan

MARCOTTE, Guillaume – SP, ECCC

MASSEY, Eric – SH, CSC

MICHAUD, Réjean – AFS, CRA

MORIN, Pierre C.M. – AFS, CRA

MURRAY, Mélanie – CS, SSC

NEFOUCI, Abel – AFS, CRA

NOËL, Damien – AV, PSPC

NOLET, David – AFS, CRA

OMOLE, Isaac – CS, INAC

OUIMET, Philippe – NR, CSA

PAINCHAUD, Vicky – CS, SSC

PARENT, Steve – AFS, CRA

PELLETIER, Benoit – AFS, CRA (Rimouski)

PELLETIER, Benoit – AFS, CRA (Sherbrooke)

PÉTION, Ronald – AFS, CRA

PICHETTE, Chantal – AFS, CRA

PIERRE, Nathalie – AFS, CRA

POTVIN, Johanne – AFS, CRA

POULIN, Yanick – AV, ISDEC

RENNA, Gerlando – AFS, CRA

Richard, Pierre G. – NR, TC

ROKER, Karen – AFS, CRA

ROY, Eric – AFS, CRA

SÉVIGNY, Claude – AFS, CRA

SIDIBÉ, Cheick O.T. – VM, CFIA

SIOUI, Patrick – AFS, CRA

STEVENS, Linda – SH, CSC

TELLIER, Robert – CS, SSC

THIBODEAU, Luc – NR, PSPC

TOUSIGNANT, François – NR, PSPC

TURNER, JONATHAN – AFS, CRA

VERMETTE, Isabelle – AFS, CRA

WHALEN, Patrick – AV, DND

Montréal Office Staff

CHARETTE, Valérie   

Manager, Quebec Region

RENAUD, Anne           

Office Administrator

Guests

DAVIAU, Debi

President, Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada

AUBRY, Stéphane

Vice-President (part-time), Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada

Observer:

CHAN, Yuk-Wing – AFS, CRA

 

Friday, May 5, 2017 – 1:15 p.m.

Call to Order of the 76th Quebec Regional Council

Y. Brodeur introduced the members of the Quebec Regional Executive Committee.

Richard Doyle

Renaud Guiard

Lyne Larocque

Réjean Michaud

Damien Noël (absent in that afternoon)

Steve Parent

Benoit Pelletier

Patrick Sioui

Robert Tellier

Christian Tremblay (absent)

Y. Brodeur introduced the guests from the Quebec Young Professionals Committee who were enlisted to attend the Council meeting: M. Amer, Y.-W. Chan, N. Mansuy, M.-M. Bourassa and G. Marcotte. He asked them to send him an email saying whether or not they enjoyed the Regional Council, and to provide some feedback if possible.

Y. Brodeur introduced the representatives of the Montréal Regional Office: V. Charette and A. Renaud.

He also presented the guests: D. Daviau and S. Aubry (who will be attending tomorrow).

Director’s Report

Y. Brodeur began by talking about the isolated post designation that the Gaspé region lost a few years ago; the employees filed individual grievances and got people to sign petitions, but were unsuccessful. Last year, they filed a collective grievance that was heard by the National Joint Council (NJC). When the NJC reached an impasse, the grievance was referred to adjudication. As for the chances for success, PIPSC President will have to help us bring the case forward politically to the NJC. This isolated post allowance affects 20 public service employees in the Gaspé region. They met with the Minister of National Revenue, Diane Lebouthillier, and she promised to put pressure on the Treasury Board.

Y. Brodeur said he was proud of the Quebec Region and the progress it has made in the past two years, especially in regard to regional committees.

He gave an overview of each of the committees:

Training Committee: He introduced the members—Robert Tellier, Benoit Pelletier and himself—and said that they had made a PIPSC breakthrough by training trainers who work with employment relations officers (EROs).

Young Professionals Committee: Y. Brodeur would like to see this creative group play a larger role, including serving on the Executive Committee, but all within the rules. He introduced the members: V. Painchaud, M. Murray, D. Campanozzi, S. Lavigne and D. Caissy.

Status of Women Committee: Y. Brodeur recalled that they had tried to create a permanent committee a few years ago but without success. However, we have our own Status of Women Committee in Quebec. He introduced the members: S. Fréchette, Nadia Méhu-Jules (absent), F. Lavaud, Isabelle Mercier (absent) and I. Vermette.

Point of order by L. Larocque, requesting that we return to the agenda as we had skipped several items. The Council agreed to go back to the agenda after the review of the committees.

Mobilization and Recruitment Committee: He introduced the members: Martine Lacroix (absent), Luc Carrière (absent) and S. Parent.

Diversity Action Group: Y. Brodeur asked M.L. Dumé, P. Sioui and M. Guertin if they would be interested in a diversity action committee in the Quebec Region and the response was positive. He outlined the group’s objectives: increase visibility and representation, remove barriers, identify and address diversity issues, advance the rights of the employees concerned, raise awareness among Stewards and members, promote diversity, and identify systemic barriers.

Y. Brodeur interrupted his report to go back to the previous items on the agenda.

Moment of Silence

Yvon Brodeur proposed a moment of silence for those who had passed away this year.

Approval of the Agenda

R. Doyle moved that the agenda be approved. G. Renna seconded the motion. Carried unanimously.

Approval of the 75th Regional Council Minutes

R. East, seconded by S. Parent, moved that the 2016 minutes be approved. Carried unanimously.

Business Arising from the Minutes

Y. Brodeur consulted R. Michaud, who had chaired the meeting last year, and there was nothing to report.

Y. Brodeur continued his report with a discussion of the pilot projects.

Benefits: Benefits include pensions, disability insurance, and health and dental care. The Region asked Ottawa for approval to train three people from the Quebec Region—R. Michaud, S. Parent and Marie-Josée Marcoux—to make presentations at Lunch and Learns. We should receive an official response next week and an email will be sent to the Stewards so that they can invite their members to Lunch and Learns to discuss public service benefits.

Retirement Planning: Y. Brodeur asked the attendees if their employer is still providing information on retirement planning. Several Council members responded. Training is offered by some employers, but we need to exert pressure on others.

Quebec Region Communications Committee: As director, Y. Brodeur needed someone to work with him and provide ideas for a communications plan. Anne Renaud agreed to work with him on this committee.

Y. Brodeur said that he wants to work closely with the EROs. He will make every effort to work together with them because we have the same clientele. He suggested a meeting between the Executive and the Montréal Office staff and said that he would be talking to V. Charette shortly to find a date and some topics that would be of interest to both parties.

He ended by saying that the Quebec Region is actively protecting the interests of its members, as well as being active at the national level. As Director, he often meets with the President and Management to carry out our projects. He congratulated the Quebec Stewards for their involvement and explained that they play an important part in a large organization, compared to stewards in other unions. He also thanked D. Daviau for her trust in the Quebec Region and reiterated that we are proud to have her as our ambassador.

He hopes that this Council is a source of information, inspiration, creativity and achievement for all those attending.

Presentation by PIPSC President

In her opening remarks, D. Daviau expressed how unique she finds the Quebec Region, especially with its broad range of committees. She considers the Quebec members trailblazers. D. Daviau said that these initiatives should be adopted in other regions across the country. In fact, the Board of Directors would like to see the same committees established in each region, but the movement is happening just in Quebec for the moment.

With the help of Quebec’s Young Professionals Committee, D. Daviau submitted a budget request for each region. Since then, the Atlantic Region and National Capital Region have established their own Young Professionals Committees. In addition, two Quebec members, M. Guertin and M.L. Dumé, are sitting on the national Human Rights and Diversity Committee.

D. Daviau explained that it took six to eight months to build a working relationship with the new government. Progress has been made, but it has not been easy. The Board adopted a plan that includes our mandate, vision, objectives and strategy. This plan was developed following a survey of members.

She reiterated that we have 55,000 members from 41 Groups and she hopes that PIPSC will become a more engaged and militant union someday, more like the Quebec Region members. She then gave an overview of our membership:

1st: 32% are scientists, researchers and engineers

2nd: 30% are auditors

3rd: 26% are IT experts

She took a look back at the three issues in the last election in order to update us on those that still affect us: scientific integrity, outsourcing and tax fairness.

She then talked about the five main services PIPSC provides to its member, the results of an opinion survey conducted among members, and she revealed PIPSC’s new organizational structure.

Next, she said a few words about Phoenix, reaffirming that PIPSC was unaware of the modernization plans before its members started speaking out about the problems. PIPSC was not involved before Phoenix was first implemented, nor is it currently involved. Her main message to the employer was that it should use the expertise of our members and internal resources to address the problem and ensure that the system remains reliable in the future. PIPSC will not be a partner without their involvement. If they wait too long, the expertise will be lost and outsourcing will be the only permanent solution, which is unacceptable.

D. Daviau explained that employees who are represented by a union do not have access to remedies such as class action suits and must use the grievance process to claim their rights. D. Daviau confided that PIPSC is going to file a policy grievance to ensure that members who do not call on PIPSC will still be protected of certain rights, e.g. interest payment, compensation leave and other prejudices. This will put pressure on the government. The government does not want to face its own employees in Court after failing to pay them. It would not look good.

Her main message to the members: if you have a Phoenix-related problem, you need to contact your ERO. That is where all the work begins. Even if you do not wish to file a grievance, our EROs can help you analyze the situation and get emergency pay (priority pay) for you, among other things. Essentially, you need to communicate with the EROs. They read their emails but cannot do anything at the individual level. They work at the policy level, whereas the Montréal Office deals with individual cases.

A question period followed the presentation. The following issues were dealt with: financial assistance for professional fees and the reliability of the government’s statistics on the percentage of cases settled.

Quebec Regional Manager’s Report

V. Charette thanked Y. Brodeur and the Executive for inviting her. As requested, she said she would be addressing Phoenix from the employment relations perspective.

She confirmed at the outset that the employer’s statistics do not reflect the real situation and explained the procedure for handling Phoenix-related problems. Our fellow members in the Atlantic Region are coordinating all Phoenix matters and have recorded all requests for assistance and grievances. Since the beginning of April, 825 complaints (not necessarily grievances) had been brought to our attention and 238 have now been resolved, i.e. a resolution rate of 29%. Out of 825 complaints, 351 have led to grievances, including 108 that have been resolved (a 31% success rate). She stressed the importance of bringing problems to the attention of the Regional Office. That way we can get the employer to pay attention to the problem. Phoenix cases can take many forms and are of varying seriousness. She provided some examples.

PIPSC has put a system in place to record these critical cases. It is a centralized list that is sent to D. Daviau each week and that she refers to when meeting with Treasury Board so that special attention is brought to them. This method ensures more expedient follow-up in most cases.

The first cases submitted for adjudication will be heard this summer in the Prairies Region; 70 cases have been referred to adjudication so far. The government’s game plan is not clear. For now, cases are being settled but most of them are only being partially settled.

V. Charette next talked about the professional fees of members in need of assistance; the key message was that everything must be documented. She gave the example of a line of credit: statements must be printed before pay problems arise, as well as the subsequent statements,to show that they resulted in an increase in the line of credit. By doing so, the harm caused by Phoenix can be measured.

She then addressed the issue of choosing the appropriate type of grievance: What is the difference between an individual grievance and a collective grievance? The problems caused by the Phoenix system are very different from one employee to the next; the damages vary as well.

Next, she addressed the interest issue and explained the British principle “The King can do no wrong.”  This is the reason the Crown does not pay interest, unless it is provided for in a law or contract. In the case of Phoenix, we are prohibited by law to claim interest. In reference to D. Daviau’s suggestion, she mentioned the possibility of providing some compensation through leave.

V. Charette also informed us that we may be acquiring some provincial members. Since December 2016, a service agreement has allowed us to represent 150 workers from the Association québécoise des physician(ne)s médicaux cliniques (AQPMC) who work in radiology in Quebec hospitals, both individually and in negotiating their collective agreement. They are not yet members but we hope they will join our union once the 2020 agreement has been reached. Our contact at the office is Frédéric Durso.

She concluded by saying a few words about the key decisions on workforce adjustment and reliability status.

A question period followed the presentation.

Health Break

Amendment of the By-Laws and Regulations (see Appendix for full text)

L. Larocque and R. Guiard presented the proposals for amendments to the Quebec Region Constitution and By-Laws.

1. Chair of the Quebec Region Youth Committee to sit on the Regional Executive

S. Lavigne moved that the original resolution be approved; seconded by D. Campanozzi. Following some discussion and a series of proposed amendments, only one was accepted (see Appendix). The resolution as amended was approved unanimously.

Resolutions for PIPSC’s 2017 AGM (see Appendix for full text)

On behalf of the Quebec Regional Executive, R. Guiard presented the resolutions that the Quebec Region would like to present at PIPSC’s National AGM.

1. Order of resolutions at the National AGM:

Moved by S. Parent, seconded by P. Morin – carried unanimously.

2. Resolution for reporting on activities outside the Institute

Moved by D. Caissy, seconded by D. Campanozzi – carried unanimously.

3. Resolution to change the content of email messages

Original resolution moved by M. Murray, seconded by V. Painchaud. After some discussion, two proposed amendments were approved (see Appendix) and the resolution as amended was carried unanimously.

4. Resubmitting of referred resolutions from the 2016 AGM: F-6, P-10, P-11, P‑12, P-13

R. Guiard moved that the original resolution be carried. Seconded by S. Parent. Following some discussion, an amendment was withdrawn and another was accepted by a majority vote (see Appendix) – the resolution as amended was passed by a majority.

The meeting adjourned at 5:45 p.m.

Saturday, May 6, 2017 – 08:30

Presentation on C-27! Save Defined Benefit Pensions

S. Aubry discussed ways of opposing Bill C-27 since it could be the forerunner of a new bill that will target federal public servants by slashing their benefits. The government is trying more and more to have taxpayers absorb market fluctuations by implementing a shared risk pension plan. The main risk is an increase in employee contributions, even when members are retired. S. Aubry encouraged us to lobby, sign petitions, and so on, as well as to use the Better Together budget, which is meant to support PIPSC’s campaigns on benefit protection. A question period followed the presentation.

Report by the Young Professionals Committee

D. Caissy highlighted the performance and involvement of this committee, which is now in its third year, and extended a special thanks to Y. Brodeur for his leadership, vision and support. He introduced the Committee members and gave a rundown of their achievements: efforts to change the Policy on Balancing Union Activity and Family Life to make it easier for young people to participate, tabling of the resolution to create an observer position on the Regional Executive, and last year’s resolution to set up this type of committee in other regions. He listed the issues that were especially important to them: reducing our environmental footprint by attempting to change the Travel Policy (e.g. include provisions on carpooling); welcoming our members more effectively by preparing a new welcome letter; improving communications by creating a Facebook page for members under the age of 40; enhancing communications by tabling a resolution to improve PIPSC’s email delivery; getting operational budgets; and making every effort to ensure sound management of our members’ dues (e.g. using free tools, tabling a resolution for submitting activity reports). A question period followed the presentation.

Report by the Quebec Regional Status of Women Committee  

I. Vermette took the floor and presented the Committee report. She spoke briefly about how the Committee came into being in April 2016 and introduced the members. She then presented the Committee’s mission and mandate, and gave the dates on which the Committee met. During their meetings they created their new logo, obtained a banner, defined the roles and responsibilities of Committee members, stated their mission and mandate, set up an email address so that all Quebec Region members could contact them directly, wrote and posted two messages to the attention of Quebec Region members, and prepared presentations for the Regional Council. Most importantly, they worked on a survey of Quebec members to learn about the members’ needs as well as the problems encountered in the various workplaces. Everyone is therefore encouraged to participate in the survey, since the results will be used to define the Committee’s priorities. I. Vermette then listed the dates on which the Committee was represented at FTQ meetings. She ended by thanking D. Daviau and Y. Brodeur for their support and availability and everyone who directly or indirectly contributed to Committee work. She also provided an email address to which we can send our concerns and suggestions: ccfq@pipsc.ca

Report by the Peer Committee

E. D’Amours explained the nature and role of the Committee. The presentation focused mainly on the Panel of Peers. He started by giving a bit of background on the Committee using the Dispute Resolution and Discipline Policy (available on the website). Conflict resolution is the goal, but a framework has been put into place for cases where disciplinary action is necessary. He then discussed such things as how the panel was created (nominations, selection, etc.), the dispute resolution process and the appeal process. Note that all complaints go through the General Counsel (Isabelle Roy). The panel (if established) may use an outside investigator. E. D’Amours then gave examples of this process using real-life cases (without breaching confidentiality). He stressed that the Committee objective is to protect the interests of PIPSC and its members.

A question period followed the presentation.

Health Break

Presentation of financial statements and budget: R. Tellier presented the Quebec Region financial report (the 2016 financial statements and the 2017 budget) for the period January 1 to December 31, 2016.

A question period followed the presentation.

R. Tellier, seconded by Hugo Landry, moved that the financial report including the 2016 financial statements and the 2017 budget be approved. G. Renna moved that the report as amended (amendment proposed and passed unanimously – to correct the annual PIPSC allocation item and change the deficit). M. Daraîche-Leblanc seconded the motion. Carried unanimously.

Report by the Regional Training Committee: R. Tellier introduced B. Pelletier and Y. Brodeur, the other members of the committee, which is now called the Learning and Education Committee. He then named the 13 peer trainers and presented the ERO trainers, thanking all of them and recognizing their outstanding work. Next, he provided a summary of the past year’s activities, along with a few statistics (e.g. percentage of women/men), including the FTQ training (after sending out a notice of interest earlier in the year).

A question period followed the presentation.

R. Tellier said the report would be approved later, along with the other reports.

Lunch

National and Regional Committee Reports

Finance Committee: B. Pelletier explained the committee’s mandate, listed the meetings held in 2016 and introduced the members. He followed with the report including the 2017 budget. The period of the budget overlaps two fiscal years and goes from December 31 to June 30. He could not give the results for 2016 because the Board of Directors had not yet seen them. He also said that the report by BDO had not raised any issues. He then mentioned that the Olymel case had been settled, which will affect the 2016 results. He read the official talking points that he had received permission to share.

A question period followed the presentation.

By-Laws and Policies Committee: R. East, who was the representative in 2016, presented the report in place of L. Larocque, who is the new representative for Quebec but could not make it to the meeting. He explained how the Committee is run and its mandate, which is to review policies that PIPSC would like to introduce and to make recommendations. An important duty of the Committee is to review requests for By-Law amendments from the constituent bodies before they are submitted to the Board of Directors for approval.

R. Tellier took the floor to share a recommendation by L. Larocque that Quebec’s constituent bodies start using the same rules of procedure as PIPSC (available on the website) as opposed to the Code Morin or other rules (in suggesting changes, if applicable) so that PIPSC’s constituent bodies use consistent rules of procedure.

R. East explained the procedure to follow if a constituent body’s By-Laws are not posted on the site. Should this be the case, the By-Laws must be rewritten in line with the last approved template and sent for approval to the By-Laws Committee. The Executive must have the By-Laws approved at the constituent body’s AGM before they are sent to the By-Laws Committee and then to the Board of Directors.

Scholarship Fund Committee: R. East went over the scholarship eligibility criteria and indicated that the deadline for applications this year is July 14, 2017. He then listed the available scholarships.

Human Rights Committee: P. Sioui began by reading the Committee mandate, which is primarily to make recommendations to the Board of Directors, and then listed the meetings of the previous year. He shared the main topics discussed this year, including terms of office but, above all, the logistics of the National AGM. He went through the accommodation problems at the last AGM. As a follow-up, they made a number of recommendations to the Executive Committee.

Science Advisory Committee: No one was at the meeting to present the report.

Branch Liaison Committee: R. Guiard outlined the past and future meetings. 

Better Together Committee: S. Parent explained that the Committee had been very active in past years, but not in the last year. He indicated that Richard Beaulé still heads the Committee but that he is also busy with bargaining, which has resulted in a hiatus. He specified that there are still funds allocated for Better Together activities and encouraged members to organize mobilization events on their end.

Mobilization Committee: S. Parent said a few words about this committee that goes hand in hand with “Better Together” but specified that the primary purpose of the committee is to support the work of the bargaining teams.

Professional Recognition Committee: C. Lemay gave an overview of the meetings and objectives of the past year. The Committee’s main objective is to liaise with the various professional associations and review the action taken. She ended by handing the Committee’s leadership over to J. Potvin.

Information Technology Services and Projects Committee: C. Gaboury introduced the Information Technology Services and Projects Committee. He outlined the meetings, listed the Committee members, and reported on the Committee’s mandate, which is to provide advice and make recommendations. The Committee works closely with PIPSC’s IT group. He went on to talk about the issues for the upcoming year and shared the Committee’s achievements.

A question period followed the presentation.

Branch Presidents’ Reports

Abitibi-Témiscamingue: R. East presented his report, which has been posted online; he pointed out a small typo (should read 2016 rather than 2017); the main concern is ensuring renewal.

Basse Côte-Nord: Y. Brodeur said that this Branch is inactive but that he plans to make a visit sometime between late May and early June to get things going again.

Centre du Quebec: R. Doyle said that the Branch is inactive, that it no longer has a president and that no one has stepped up at the moment.

Montreal-Rive Nord – CSC: R. Doyle reported on last year’s highlights; they tried to visit the various locations (extensive area) and joined other unions for mobilization events; he said that there was a drop in the number of members; they were very disappointed when no members showed up at the AGM.

Iqaluit: The Branch representative was absent for health reasons.

Laval: P. Morin presented his report, which has been posted online; he listed last year’s events; he would like to attract members who are not AFS members; their By-Laws were updated in conjunction with the AFS Sub-Group; he ended by talking about the Ride to Conquer Cancer.

Lennoxville: M. Duplessis was replacing Martin Lessard and presented the Branch report written by Martin, which is posted online; she expanded on two items in the report: commuting to work and the creation of an EG-3 pool.

Mauricie: No one was at the meeting to present the report.

Montérégie: G. Giolti presented the report, which is posted online; he provided the number of members, listed last year’s events and some upcoming events; the Branch is very active.

Montréal Centre: P. Sioui indicated that the report will be posted shortly; the Branch will be holding a number of visibility events, including retirement courses; P. Sioui gave a rundown on last year’s meetings, a Lunch and Learn on Sick Leave, and collective bargaining.

Montréal-Est: M. Guertin indicated that the Executive had been re-elected by acclamation; he explained that members were deeply concerned about what the union is doing for them and where their dues are going. As for events, they gave golf umbrellas to all Branch members (90–95 people) and organized a Lunch and Learn.

Montréal-Ouest: H. Landry presented his report, which has been posted online: he talked about the fact that there are a large number of Branch members but that there is little contact with them (goal for next year); he listed the events that were successful despite the difficulties encountered being in a scientific community; one such event included preparing posters on Phoenix in anticipation of the Minister’s visit to their offices; he finished by presenting a funny home video on Phoenix.

Québec City: R. Michaud submitted his report, which is posted online; the Branch has over 1,000 members; he talked about their past and upcoming meetings, especially the AGM that took place at the Citadelle, where a special guest spoke about tax havens; R. Michaud ended by passing on the presidency to D. Caissy.

Eastern Quebec: B. Pelletier (Rimouski) presented his report, which is posted online; he explained the difficulty in attracting members and listed the events of the previous year.

Saguenay-Lac-St-Jean: K. Landry was replacing Guylaine Tremblay; he explained that the Branch lost members from Côte-Nord; he listed the departments as well as past and upcoming events and talked about priorities for the upcoming year.

Sherbrooke: B. Pelletier gave the floor to L. Manseau (previous President), who reported on the number of members, including a new Steward; she listed the meetings and events in 2016; she wished the new President good luck.

St-Jean – Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada: No one was at the meeting to present the report.

St-Hyacinthe: Y. Brodeur said that the Branch was inactive but that it will be revived in a month’s time.

Ville-Marie: R. Guiard started by clarifying a difficult situation in March 2017 in relation to the AV Group; he then presented the report that will be posted online shortly; he said that he was happy with member participation, especially AGM attendance; he listed other events, including two Happy Hours. Next year the Branch will be organizing a photo contest for the design of a logo to be featured on the Branch banner; in one short year, the Branch has revitalized itself.

R. East, seconded by P. Sioui, moved that all of the Branch President and Committee Reports be approved – carried unanimously.