Québec City NR Sub-Group (QC NR SG)
Minutes of the Annual General Meeting of November 10, 2022
The Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the Quebec City NR Sub-Group (QC NR SG) was held at the Pacini restaurant (5050, boulevard Lebourgneuf) in Québec City.
1. Welcome, Call to Order, Verification of Quorum and Opening Remarks.
At 5:32 p.m., the President, Mr. Patrick Lacoursière, after verifying the quorum, declared the meeting open. He welcomed the other twelve (12) members present.
The President introduced the three (3) members of the Executive Committee present, namely Mr. Omar Kali (Vice-President), Mr. Jean-Luc Bédard (Treasurer) and Mr. Bernard Michaud (Secretary).
Other members present:
- Mr. Robert Durocher
- Mr. Hugo Buttau
- Mr. Pierre Richard
- Mr. François Veilleux
- Mr. Samuel Bruneau-Dubuc
- Mr. Alex Tourigny-Plante
- Mr. Antoine Grégoire
- Mr. Jacob Bélanger
- Mr. Pierre Nadeau
2. Review of the Notice of Meeting
Since the notice of meeting was sent to all members by email, the President suggested that it not be reviewed, and no member objected.
Review and Approval of Agenda
As the agenda was sent to all members by email, the President asked that it not be reviewed. On a motion by Mr. Jean-Luc Bédard, seconded by Mr. Omar Kali, the agenda was adopted unanimously.
3. Review and Approval of 2021 AGM Minutes
Since the 2021 AGM minutes were emailed to all members, the President asked that the minutes not be reviewed and asked the members present if they had any comments or corrections. On a motion by Mr. Omar Kali, seconded by Mr. Jean-Luc Bédard, the minutes were approved unanimously.
4. Presentation of the latest developments in the negotiations for the new agreement
Two (2) members of the NR Bargaining Committee, Mr. Buttau and Mr. Richard, made a presentation regarding the update on the negotiations for the new NR collective agreement which expired on September 30, 2022. Once the presentation was made, Mr. Buttau and Mr. Richard answered questions from members.
5. President’s Report
Patrick Lacoursière gave a brief overview of the reasons for the creation of the subgroup and presented a summary of the events that have taken place since the last meeting in 2021:
- Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA): The current collective agreement expires on September 30, 2022;
- Discussion regarding the job description for ENG-4 and ENG-5 as it relates to the Standard Job Description (SJD);
- Discussion regarding the willingness to organize social events for the sub-group, for example: a bowling night to come this fall.
The goal for 2022–23 is to continue to address job classification inequity and implement a professional development and career progression plan for NRs. On a motion presented by Mr. Pierre Nadeau, seconded by Mr. Omar Kali, the President’s report was adopted.
6. Treasurer’s Report
Treasurer Jean-Luc Bédard presented the financial statements for the year ending December 31, 2022. The amount will change as we will have a bowling night by December 31, 2022. The subgroup is in excellent financial health so there are no concerns at this level.
The financial statements presented were proposed by Mr. Omar Kali and seconded by Mr. Bernard Michaud.
7. Appointment of a budget auditor
Regarding the appointment of an auditor for the year 2022, after checking with PIPSC over the past few months, it appears that there is no requirement for the financial statements to be audited by an independent auditor.
After discussion, it was decided to proceed with a vote to determine if an auditor should be appointed to audit the 2022 financial statements. A show of hands is held. Results for the appointment of an auditor: 0 votes. Against the appointment of an auditor: 13 votes.
It was unanimously decided that no auditor be appointed.
8. Invitation to members to join the executive
The President asked the floor if there were any other members interested in serving on the Executive Committee, but no new members came forward.
The Executive Committee for the coming year will be composed of:
- Patrick Lacoursière, President
- Omar Kali, Vice President
- Jean-Luc Bédard, Treasurer
- Bernard Michaud, secretary
- Robert Durocher, executive member
9. Career Development and Progression
Jean-Luc Bédard briefly presented the results of his work and the file he presented to the senior management of Defence Research and Development Canada (DRDC-Valcartier) concerning professional development and career progression.
Jean-Luc is awaiting a response from DRDC Valcartier regarding his request. We still do not know when we will receive a response.
It was discussed that it would be useful to present the file prepared by Jean-Luc to the Chair of the DND consultation, in an attempt to move the file forward.
10. New Business
Discussions regarding the possibility of virtual participation at the 2023 AGM. After discussion, in order to encourage the greatest possible number of members to attend the AGM, it was decided that virtual participation in the 2023 AGM should be possible.
Steps will be taken to have the virtual mode in place for the 2023 AGM.
Mr. Bédard proposed a plan to reward the involvement of members in the executive to attract more people. An amount of money is given according to the involvement in the subgroup, delegate, participation in different events and other.
11. Vote for the date of the event
An event for all members of the Quebec City NR subgroup and their families is planned for the fall of 2022. The chosen event is an evening of bowling at the Frontenac bowling alley.
A vote was held to determine the date of the event. Two (2) dates are proposed, either Friday, November 25 or Friday, December 2, 2022, from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm. The vote established the date as Friday, December 2, 2022.
12. Closing of the AGM
On a motion by Mr. Omar Kali, seconded by Mr. Bernard Michaud, the meeting was adjourned at 9:29 p.m.