Candidate for Vice-President (Part-Time) – Sylvia Boucher

The views expressed in this biography are those of the candidate and do not necessarily represent the views or opinions of PIPSC.

Born, raised and educated in Ottawa, Sylvia is the youngest member of a family from the Gaspé region. She completed elementary and high school in French and obtained two university degrees from Carleton University (two bachelor’s degrees, one with honours in Economics).

Sylvia has worked for four government departments: the Canadian Human Rights Commission, Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO), Labour Canada and Natural Resources Canada (NRCan). Her work has taken her across Canada and to different countries around the world. 

Upon graduating from university, Sylvia worked in the private sector for a holding company, but during the economic crisis of 1989, she returned to the public sector as a commerce officer (CO) with Fisheries and Oceans Canada. She wrote policy documents for the approval of a $120M program to provide income support to plant workers in the Atlantic provinces, and was sent to Labour Canada to implement it.

In September 1991, during the largest national strike of the Public Service Alliance of Canada, she contacted her union, PIPSC, to obtain a membership card that would allow her to cross the picket line and go to work. 

Subsequently, she became a Steward and attended union-management and workplace health and safety meetings. Being active in PIPSC meetings led to her being elected President of NRCan, NCR Branch, Vice President of the AV Group, NCR, and later Vice-President of the AV Sub-Group Ottawa. She also organized numerous union events. She obtained the position of CO03 and participated in executive meetings, where she defended members’ rights. She even led a grievance on the subject of overtime, because members told her they were being intimidated by management on the issue. She won the grievance at the third level and resolved the problem for good. 

Silvia received an NCR Citation Award in 2019 in recognition of her valuable contribution to the success of the National Capital Region. She has remained active and involved since retiring, and was elected Vice-Chair of the RMG, NCR. She attended the 2020 Annual General Meeting and communicates regularly with members and Directors on the Board.

Sylvia is sincere, honest, dedicated and vigilant. Her approach is thoughtful, using research to investigate issues and solve problems. She communicates effectively in both official languages. 

Sylvia and her husband have a teenage son. As hockey players, cyclists, golfers and skiers, they are truly a family of sports lovers.

Sylvia Boucher: an important part of your union!

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