Quebec S&A Sub-Group- AGM Minutes- October 21, 2021

 

AGM MINUTES - Quebec S&A Sub-Group

Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada (PIPSC)

OCTOBER 21 2021 – 6:30 p.m.

AGM Chair: Isabelle Woolgar

Opening Remarks

Participants welcomed via Zoom

Reminder that the last AGM was held in February 2019 and the time between meetings exceeded the terms specified in the Sub-Group by-laws due to the pandemic and PIPSC’s request to suspend union activities for a period of time.

It was mentioned that there was a mix-up regarding the opening time of the meeting. The Zoom meeting was therefore opened at 6 p.m. to welcome those who joined at that time, but the AGM officially started at 6:40 p.m.

Reminder that it is the first AGM held under our new by-laws, as unanimously adopted by members on February 20, 2020, and ratified by the Institute on June 29, 2021. 

1. Request for Amendment and Approval of Agenda

The Chair proposed an amendment to the agenda that is included in the Notice of Meeting. The requested amendments are as follows:

• Withdrawal of the roll call, since it was made during the welcome via Zoom

• Addition of an item to point 2: EC Communications to Members
• Addition of “Other Business” at the end of the meeting

Moved by: Isabelle Woolgar.

Seconded by: Claude Desaulniers.

Carried unanimously.

 

The new Agenda is therefore as follows:

1. Approval of Agenda 
2. Executive Committee Communications to Members
3. Review and Approval of 2019 AGM Minutes 
4. Annual Activity Report
5. Financial Report
6. Elections
7. Other Business

 

2. Executive Committee (EC) Communications to Members

Reminder that as stated in a communication to members posted on the PIPSC website on February 2, 2018, (Clarifications about Labour-Management Consultation and Executive members), at the request of some members, all EC communications directed at Sub-Group members are made through PIPSC. It is therefore important that your email addresses are up to date with the Institute if you wish to receive these communications. To do so, you must contact the Institute at 1-800-267-0446 or access Change of Address | PIPSC.CA.

This meeting was convened using this communication channel. However, since several members did not receive the Notice of Meeting, the EC decided to forward the message itself to members’ email addresses to ensure that everyone had received the information, as several new members did not receive the February 2018 notice. Note that this was an exception and will not be repeated. Members are responsible for informing themselves via the PIPSC website or through their Stewards regarding EC communications or upcoming union events.

3. Review and Approval of 2019 AGM Minutes 

Given the extended period between meetings due to the pandemic, the minutes including the 2018–2019 Activity Report and the Election Report have already been published on the PIPSC website on July 16, 2019 (CFIA-S & A Quebec Region Sub-Group - 2019 AGM Report | PIPSC). The Chair proposed that there be no vote on the adoption of the documents since they have already been published and there is no follow-up to be done. The Chair asked if there were any objections to this proposal. There were none. The Chair then moved on to the Activity Report for 2020–2021.

 

4. Annual Activity Report for 2020–2021

 

4.1. Union-Management consultations

As provided for in the terms of reference between management and the union, we had four rounds of consultations this year, for each region in QC (called local union-management consultations), followed by four consultations including the four Quebec branches (called regional union-management consultations). All these meetings are for the VM and SA groups; Stewards from both groups were present at each of these meetings.

Branches are responsible for writing the dates and minutes of these meetings and having them signed and published.  Note that they have all been published on Sharepoint since January 2018, on the Quebec regional site. See the section on Consultation Committees : PIPSC Union-Management Consultation Committee for the Quebec Region

Previous dates: on Merlin. See Committees section - Quebec Area, PIPSC

 

4. 2. Special COVID-19 Video Conference Calls

These calls were held weekly with management and a few managers from each region. The purpose of these calls was to provide an update on cases and to talk about problems experienced by companies and employees resulting from the measures implemented.  We began these meetings with management in October 2020 and they were ended by mutual agreement in June 2021.

The measures taken during the pandemic and the issues at stake were mainly experienced in the slaughterhouses. The overwhelming majority of SRs have been telecommuting full-time since March 2020 and there do not appear to be any major issues. Nothing has been brought to our attention on this subject by the members.

 

4. 3. Bilateral Meetings with the Quebec Branch (Paul Thébeau; Sandra Gagné)

These meetings were Paul Thébeau’s initiative in 2018 to foster simplified and closer communications between the Branch and Stewards. The purpose of these meetings was to ensure a healthy transition following the departure of the previous leadership and to resolve many of the communication issues that existed at the time.  The new Director General Sandra Gagné decided to continue these meetings in agreement with the union (SA and VM groups).

About 10 meetings are held per year, with approximately one every five or six weeks.  The VM and SA groups both send one representative to each meeting. There is no written agenda for these informal meetings. If follow-ups are required, they are included in the management or union-management meetings that follow the meeting.  The topics discussed are general topics such as work atmosphere, OHS, staffing or any other current issue that may be raised by management or employees.

 

​​​​​​​4. 4. EC Meetings

Given the circumstances of the pandemic, there were very few meetings in 2020 and 2021. These meetings were held in person in 2019 and virtually since the pandemic. There were no associated expenses.

Three meetings in 2019: February, June and October

Two meetings in 2020: February and December

One meeting in 2021: October 5

 

4.5 Union Highlights for 2020 and 2021

• February 20, 2020: vote for new Sub-Group by-laws at an SGM
• September 2, 2020: SA Group ratifies tentative agreement
• December 4, 2020: Signing of the new collective agreement (will expire on Sep. 30, 2022)
• March 2020: start of the pandemic and start of full-time telework for the majority of SRs in Quebec
• April 14, 2021: salary adjustment related to the signing of the agreement
• May 12, 2021: retroactive payments related to the signing of the agreement
• May 26, 2021: $500 lump sum payment (for late implementation of the agreement)
• June 2021: ratification of our by-laws by the Institute
• Winter and summer 2021: re-evaluation of SR role descriptors (representative cross-section SR Group members filled out a questionnaire about their duties giving examples of their work activities). The process is still ongoing. Classification decisions are expected to be released in June 2022.

 

 

​​​​​​​4. 6. Personal Note from Outgoing President

I have been a member of the EC for seven years now, the first two as secretary and soon to be five as president. It was an extremely enriching experience that allowed me to get to know three very different types of management with their respective challenges.

When I arrived at the EC, I had various objectives: improving the work atmosphere, reconnecting with the VM group during union-management meetings, improving the quality of communications with members, improving the organization and harmonization of the EC, and participating in collective and individual well-being by getting involved in different files (staffing, atmosphere, mediation, communications with management).  I consider these objectives achieved and I choose not to run again on the EC in order to open the way for next generation and devote myself to personal projects.

I would like to thank the members from the bottom of my heart for their support over the years, as well as the great members of the EC with whom I have had great pleasure working with over the past years:

Claude Desaulniers, Hugo Fréchette, Natasha Salehi, Stéphanie Fréchette, Judith Gagnon, Geneviève Gagnon, Rachel Massé and Julie Bourque.

I wish the new EC a long and successful future.

End of the Activity Report.

 

Motion to adopt the Report: Hugo Fréchette.

Seconded by: Julie Bourque.

Carried unanimously.

 

5. Financial Report

Presented by Hugo Fréchette, Secretary and Treasurer.

Summary: the report covers a much longer period of time than the usual 12 months.  For clarity, the period covered is from January 1, 2019, to September 31, 2021.  The next period will end on December 31, 2022.

Hugo presented the figures of the Financial Report and commented on the various figures listed.  Highlights:

• Hugo noted that the bank account balance ($5,284.77) has reached a point where the rules for awarding the annual stipend from the Institute will inevitably result in a lower stipend.  In fact, the projected balance on December 31 cannot exceed three times the calculated allowance, which is approximately $1,750. 
• The $3,000 allocated in 2019 for “promotional activities and materials” cannot reasonably be that high without a more specific project being put forward.  In the absence of a project, it seems more reasonable to allocate an amount of $1,000 to have some leeway in case of a project.
• An amount of $500 has been budgeted to acquire a reliable and secure group meeting system where it would be possible to vote.  This will be the subject of a special project.

Motion to adopt the Financial Report: Hugo Fréchette.

Seconded by: Isabelle Woolgar and Claude Desaulniers.

Carried unanimously.

 

6. Elections

Introduction of Renaud Guiard, Steward and President of the Ville-Marie Branch, who was invited to act as Election Chair.  

Reminder that according to the new by-laws, nominations had to be submitted in writing to Renaud Guiard (rguiard@pipsc.ca) no later than October 14, 2021, at midnight, Montreal time. 

Reminder by the Chair that, where possible, under the new statutes, we favour regional representation for each region where there is a physical office (MTL, QC, St-H).

Hugo explained the different possible situations for the Elections:

• If sufficient nominations are submitted in writing by the deadline for the number of positions available, these members are automatically acclaimed.
• If more nominations are submitted in writing before the deadline, we must proceed with an election.
• If there are not enough nominations submitted, the EC can call for volunteers at the AGM to fill positions with last-minute volunteers.
• If there are unfilled positions after the AGM, the by-laws provide that the EC may leave positions vacant.
• Also, volunteers can express their interest in joining the EC during the year.  If the EC accepts them, these candidates will have to be elected at the next AGM.

Hugo mentioned that positions up for election have been organized as if this AGM was held the year after last one (2019).  Stéphanie Fréchette and Judith Gagnon will remain in their positions, with one year to go.  The other seven positions are up for election since the EC can have a total of nine active members. Claude Desaulniers, Natacha Salehi, Geneviève Gagnon and Isabelle Woolgar are not seeking re-election. The members elected today are granted 2-years terms.

Verification with Renaud for nominations received: none were sent.

A call was made to the members present to see if anyone was interested.  Hugo volunteered. Hugo Fréchette acclaimed.

Reminder from Renaud Guiard that all members of the Sub-Group Executive are required to consult with the employer on behalf of the members, then, to be a candidate or remain as a Sub-Group Executive member, the member must be or become a Steward.

Julie Bourque mentioned that she might be interested, but wants to take some time to think about it. The same goes for Nathalie Sauvageau.

Closing of the Elections.  The composition of the new EC is as follows:

• Stéphanie Fréchette, Judith Gagnon and Hugo Fréchette.

As stated in our by-laws, the roles of President, VP and Secretary-Treasurer will be assigned at the first meeting of the new EC by its active members.

 

7. Other Business

Time given to members for questions or other topics to be raised.

Word from Claude Desaulniers. Thanks to the Group and members for their support. Invitation to get involved.

No other business.

Closing of the AGM by the Outgoing President at 8:20 p.m.

 

Isabelle Woolgar
PIPSC Steward
Outgoing President of the Quebec S&A Sub-Group [October 22,