Executive Meeting - December 16 and 17, 2021 (9th of the year)
In-person meeting at the Montreal Regional Office
Start of meeting: 4:30 p.m. (16/12/2021)
In attendance: Yvon Brodeur, Denis Caissy, Hugo Landry, Nancy Lavoie, Réjean Michaud, Lisanne Racine and Karine Régimbald.
Present (December 17 only): Jean Couillard, Steve Malenfant and Gerlando Renna.
Absent: Stéphanie Fréchette.
Guest Observer: Robert Tellier.
- Opening Remarks:
Yvon welcomed everyone and will chair the meeting.
- Approval of the agenda:
Two items were added to the agenda.
Karine moved to approve, and Hugo seconded.
The agenda was approved unanimously; other business items can still be added.
- Approval of the Minutes of October 28, 2021:
Denis moved to approve, and Nancy seconded.
The minutes of the April 24 meeting were unanimously approved.
- Business Arising from the Minutes of October 28, 2021:
a) No further action is required.
- Steward Council (SC) 2021– Follow-up:
-Meeting of the Branch Presidents and follow-up on the compensation file with the speaker: these points were postponed to the following day (December 17) when Steve, who is responsible for these two issues, would be present;
-Status of Women Committee meeting: did not take place as Stéphanie Laporte was not present;
-Youth Committee meeting: did not take place. Lisanne noted that she had asked the Institute for a Zoom account for the committee and was denied. We asked Lisanne to make another request, and if this is denied again, the Region will pay the licence for the next year (approximately $240); (Action: Lisanne)
-Communication Committee meeting: The filming of the Steward training experiences took place as planned. The editing is progressing and will be ready in the next few months. (Action: Hugo and Denis)
Hugo informed us that we will eventually do some job-related videos with some professions of the Institute with the firm Casadel;
-Harassment and Violence in the Workplace Committee meeting: Nancy informed us that the meeting took place and they discussed the objectives of the committee. The new resolution process under the Canada Labour Code was presented. Nancy will request a budget from the Institute to hold a maximum of 6 meetings next year. She will also be in charge of the FTQ OHS committee, replacing Pierre Potvin, who was elected as Regional Director. (Action: Nancy)
Regarding the FTQ committees, Yvon will send us a list of the people responsible for each committee and Nancy will be responsible for making sure that they report to us regularly on their activities.
(Action: Yvon and Nancy)
- Vacant position in the Regional Executive:
Article 5.5.1 of our By-Laws states that when an Executive position becomes vacant, if more than half the term remains, the Executive shall fill the position by appointment until the next election.
Robert Tellier was nominated.
Robert was asked to leave the room and discussions about his possible appointment took place. A vote was taken, and Robert was appointed by a majority (1 abstention).
Robert was asked to return to the room, and we informed him of the result. His appointment will be effective January 1, 2022.
Following Stéphanie’s appointment as part-time National Vice President, Nancy will take over the hotel file with the help of Anne R.
- Discussion of Regulation 5.2.2:
According to Regulation 5.2.2. of our By-Laws, the outgoing Director may, if they wish, assist the Executive as a Friend of the Executive for the year following the expiration of their term as an ex-officio member of the Executive. Yvon therefore agreed to help the Executive in the coming year according to his availability.
- National Committee Chairs:
Yvon sent us the list of the National Committee Chairs, following the Board of Directors meeting on December 9:
-By-Laws and Policies: Stéphanie Fréchette
-Elections Appeals: Ginette Tardif
-Finances: John Purdie
-Human Rights in the Workplace: Greg Scriver
-Information Technology Services and Projects: Mark Muench
-Professional Recognition and Qualifications: Stacy McLaren
-Science Advisory: Waheed Khan
-Training and Education: Samah Henein
Adjournment: the meeting resumes December 17 at 8:30 a.m.
-Meeting with Branch Presidents and follow-up on the compensation file with the speaker:
The meeting of the Branch Presidents took place over lunch. We mostly discussed problems with mobilizing staff since the arrival of the pandemic in March 2020. The Presidents exchanged ideas, including renting a cinema, which may be taken up by some branches in June 2022 during National Public Service Week.
Our speaker was paid a fee of $200 at the last SC. They were also compensated for their travel, hotel, meals and incidental expenses. Following a discussion, we decided not to pay the speaker an additional amount, but we may award them contracts in the future.
- Selection of National Committee Candidates:
Based on the nominations received, we chose the people we will propose to the various National Committee Chairs as representatives of the Québec Region.
-By-Laws and Policies: Denis Caissy
-Elections Appeals: Érick D'Amours
-Finances: Gerlando Renna
-Human Rights in the Workplace: Nancy Lavoie
-Information Technology Services and Projects: Steve Malenfant
-Professional Recognition and Qualifications: Martin Pilote
-Science Advisory: Jean Bérubé
-Training and Education: Karine Régimbald
Regarding our representatives on the National Committees, we will ask our future Regional Director, Pierre Potvin, to present, at his first meeting of the Board of Directors, a motion to the effect that the key contacts of the National Committees send the minutes of their meetings to the Regional Executives, when the information can be disclosed. (Action: Pierre Potvin)
10. Unionization of Financial Consumer Agency of Canada (FCAC) employees:
Yvon informed us that the FCAC (about 200 members) will join the Institute. Yvon will send us a document to that effect. (Action: Yvon)
11. Other Business:
a) Donations of $2,000: Following a memo from the Institute, we will make a donation of $2,000 to the organization “Les banques alimentaires du Québec”. In addition, we are proposing to donate $2,000 to “Je raccroche” instead of the Legacy Foundation.
With respect to the existing rules for awarding Legacy Foundation scholarships, we are creating a task force to consider new selection and award criteria. This committee will comprise Lisanne, Denis and Robert.
The findings of this task force will be presented to Jennifer Carr, our new National President, following an invitation received from our new Director, Pierre Potvin. (Action: group and Pierre)
b) Regional Council 2022: It will be held on May 27 and 28, 2022, at Estrimont (Orford), preceded by a meeting of the Executive on May 26. As the person responsible for the hotels, Nancy will follow up with Anne Renaud on this event. Nancy will be assisted by Hugo and Denis in organizing this RC.
12) Roundtable:
a) Réjean: He reported that he attended a meeting of the Québec City Retired Members Guild and that no member put their name forward to form a three-person Executive. Only Denis Arsenault asked for time to think about it. Yvon and Réjean proposed to meet with him in the next few weeks to discuss this. (Action: Réjean)
b) Karine: She informed us that the training school is planned to be held in Trois-Rivières in early February 2022, and alternatively in April 2022, if the pandemic continues. In addition, new delegate training is scheduled for early April 2022.
c) Gerlando: Following his absence yesterday, he challenged Robert’s appointment as a new member of the Executive. According to him, Robert cannot be elected before January1, 2022, which is when Stéphanie must officially resign. To resolve the dispute, Yvon proposed to seek the opinion of Isabelle Roy, the Institute’s legal counsel, as to whether we could appoint him before January 1, 2022.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Subsequent to the meeting, we received a response from Isabelle Roy that we could proceed with Robert’s appointment early.
d) Jean: He spoke on behalf of everyone to thank Yvon for his years of service as Regional Director and his total dedication to the union cause. Thanks Yvon!
13) Date of Next Meeting:
The next Executive meeting will take place in January or February, following the arrival of our new Director, Pierre Potvin. (Action Pierre P.)
14) Closing Remarks and Adjournment:
Yvon thanked everyone for their kind words and the meeting was adjourned.