78th QRC - Montérégie Branch Report

Montérégie Branch Report to the Regional Council – May 2019

Hello,

The Montérégie Branch has about 875 members and has been quite active this year.

An election was held in November 2018 to fill the various positions. Part of the Executive was re-elected, and some new members were added. This is a good sign that our Branch is active.

The Montérégie Branch Executive now consists of the following:

Hugues Vanasse, President, AFS Group – CRA

Lucie Dubé, Vice-President, AFS Group – CRA

Giovanni Giolti, Secretary, CS Group - CSA

Manon Duchesne, Treasurer, AFS Group – CRA

Francine Carrier, AFS Group – CRA

Steve Parent, AFS Group – CRA

Karina Forgues, AFS Group – CRA

Fethi Boutaleb, CS Group – SSC

Maya El-Haraké, AFS Group – CRA

Djaibé Ngatiré, AFS Group – CRA

Ahmed Awad, NR Group - NRC

In the past year, we have held four Executive meetings and a variety of events.

The November 2018 AGM drew close to 75 members. The Branch AGM was the year’s key event and the Executive worked hard to maintain a strong turnout of members. We were fortunate to have Stéphane Aubry, Part-Time Vice-President, at the AGM. Stéphane gave a talk on scientific integrity, bracket creep, and Phoenix and its replacement.

There was an information session for members on February 2, 2018 at Health Canada in Longueuil. The purpose was to clarify the situation involving a move of some members to Montréal. Yvon Brodeur and Sandra Guéric attended the session. Giovanni Giolti participated as an Executive member (given the proximity of his workplace and Longueuil).

A meeting of the CSA’s SP members took place on April 26, 2018 at the CSA. We were able to convey the feedback received at this session to management and incorporate it into the government’s scientific integrity policy.

On May 16, 2018, a “Nix Phoenix” information session was held at the CSA. It was attended by 77 representatives from the NR, CS, AV and SP Groups. The comments were sent to the Better Together mobilization team.

The Steward from the National Research Council at Boucherville was invited to attend an Executive meeting. This is compulsory for new Stewards in our Branch. It helps them get to know people and make important contacts in the Branch.

On September 25, 2018, 25 Branch members attended a retirement information session given by the Retirement Planning Institute. As usual, the session was enjoyed by all. Members from each of the workplaces attended.

Lastly, an event initiated by our President to thank members who have put a lot of work into the union movement—whether as a Steward, member of a local OHS committee, member of the steering committee or the scientific integrity committee—took place on December 17. The Branch funded a volunteer lunch for 8 people at the CSA. This small gesture was unexpected but much appreciated by the volunteers.

There were other information sessions on the preparations for the collective agreement negotiations. The sessions were given by members of the CS, NR and AFS Sub-Groups working in Montérégie. We were able to reach many of our Branch members through these events.

Thank you.

Hugues Vanasse, President, Montérégie Branch