Executive Meeting - April 12, 2021 (3rd of the year)
Videoconference meeting via Zoom
Start of the meeting: 6:30 p.m.
In attendance: Yvon Brodeur, Stéphanie Fréchette, Martine Lacroix, Hugo Landry, Réjean Michaud, Benoît Pelletier, Gerlando Renna and Robert Tellier.
Absent: Nancy Lavoie.
- Opening Remarks:
Yvon welcomed everyone and will chair the meeting.
- Approval of the Agenda:
The agenda was approved unanimously; other Business items can still be added.
- Approval of the Minutes of February 23, 2021:
Gerlando moved and Stéphanie seconded that the minutes of February 23, 2021 be approved with a minor change. Carried unanimously.
- Business arising from the Minutes of February 23, 2021:
a) Videoconference with Branch Presidents:
With the cancellation of the National AGM scheduled for April 10, 2021, there was no need for Hugo to reissue an invitation to Branch Presidents (and possibly all members who attended the National AGM last December) to discuss what to do next.
b) Follow-up on the various committees (Board of Directors, Regional and FTQ):
Yvon prepared a draft letter to be sent to all the chairs of the various committees asking them to let the committee members know their schedule of activities for the year 2021. The letter will be sent out in the next few weeks. (Action: Yvon)
c) Regional Executive Elections:
We had asked Benoît and Stéphanie to contact the Institute (as well as others, including Informatics) for assistance in holding virtual elections that take our needs into account. In the meantime, Hugo contacted Informatics and Yvon spoke with others from the Institute. We will be able to hold virtual elections at our next Regional Council (RC)
which should take place on May 28. More details will be discussed during item #7 of the meeting.
d) Canadian Labour Congress (CLC) June 16–18, 2021:
Yvon had to find out if there was a way to replace the people who were originally invited to the Congress. He asked the Institute but has not yet received an answer. Stéphanie will attend on behalf of the Advisory Council. (Action: Yvon)
- Director’s Report:
a) BOD meeting of March 18–19, 2021: Yvon sent us the resolutions adopted during the last BOD meeting. He asked that we review these decisions and ask him questions about them, if necessary.
b) Governance training: Yvon sent us part of the PowerPoint presentation they received on governance. He said there is nothing really new in these principles; we just need to apply them in our processes. The complete document is available, if desired.
c) Webinar: Debi sent an email to members asking if we would like to invite her or a board member to one of our events. Given the current context, we do not believe it is appropriate to invite her to our next Regional Council, but we may consider inviting her to an event that could be held virtually, in the coming months, with the help of the soon-to-be-elected Executive.
d) Service Plus: Andrew Gize contacted Yvon to find out why the Québec Region decided to register with Union Savings, which Andrew says is a competitor to Service Plus. Registration for this discount site dates back to November 2019 at the FTQ Convention in Quebec City. According to Hugo, Union Savings offers discounts with suppliers that are quite different from Service Plus. When the same supplier is found on both sites, the discounts are equivalent. Yvon will contact Andrew with this information and will emphasize the fact that being a Union Savings member is not a disavowal of the Service Plus program. (Action: Yvon)
e) Replacement for Nancy L. on the Elections Committee: Given Nancy’s absence due to health reasons, Yvon asked if anyone would be interested in filling the position on an interim basis for the National Elections. Hugo showed interest for the short term. Nevertheless, we asked Yvon to contact Nancy to see if she can still fulfill her mandate at this time and he will also contact the chair of the National Elections Committee to resolve this. (Action: Yvon)
f) Regional Directors Meeting: they will meet on Thursday, April 15, via Zoom. The agenda is to come.
- Election of Elections Chair:
As they will not be running for another term on the Regional Executive, Yvon, Robert and Martine will form the Elections Committee.
- Regional Council:
a) Date: We had considered holding our RC on Friday, May 28, but given the delays in preparing and sending information to members, we are now aiming to hold the RC on Friday, June 11.
b) Funding: Yvon was told by the Board of Directors that the regions were expected to fund the RCs. However, Yvon received an email from Dennis Britt stating that there is a national budget to fund the RCs, as in previous years. This point will be clarified at the Board of Directors meeting on April 22 and 23. (Action: Yvon)
c) Agenda for the 79th RC: We are reviewing the preliminary agenda submitted by Yvon. We are making a few changes, including the removal of the financial statements and budget report at the national level. In addition, if we accept the tabling of resolutions at our RC, we will have to give a minimum of 6 weeks’ notice to the members according to our by-laws. Given the current context, it is therefore moved that the Québec Region Executive suspend Article 9 of the Region’s by-laws for the 2021 RC. Carried unanimously.
d) Invitation to the 79th QRC: We will need to establish the composition of members who will form the RC for this year before going ahead with the election process. Hugo will contact Anne to send out the invitation to Québec Region members as soon as possible. If necessary, a committee for reviewing nominations will be formed if more than the allowable number of candidates stand for the RC. This committee will form the RC based on the criteria outlined in our By-Laws. (Action: Hugo)
e) Notice of Election and Call for Nominations: Given the time frame before us and considering the current context, it is moved that the Québec Region Executive modify the time frame of Regulation 5.2.3.2 of its By-Laws from 6 weeks to 4 weeks for the 2021 RC. Carried unanimously. As mentioned earlier, Yvon, Robert and Martine will form the Elections Committee. Hugo will provide technical support to Robert in organizing the virtual elections. Candidates interested in submitting their names for the Executive should submit a short biography with their nomination.
8) Other Business:
a) No topics were added or discussed in Other Business.
9) Roundtable:
a)No topics were added or discussed during the roundtable.
10) Date of Next Meeting:
Our next Executive meeting will be held as soon as possible; basically, once we have sent out the invitations to members to form the RC and properly prepare for our next RC.
11) Adjournment:
Yvon thanked everyone for their participation and the meeting was adjourned.