Nancy Bédard re-elected as head of the Fédération interprofessionnelle de la santé du Québec–FIQ
Today, the 12th Convention of the Fédération interprofessionnelle de la santé du Québec–FIQ and 2nd of the FIQP | Secteur privé ended. Meeting virtually, the delegates re-elected Nancy Bédard as president of the FIQ for a second mandate, and at the same time confirmed the election of the 8 other members who, with the president, will form the Executive Committee for the next four years. The Convention theme “Our convictions, the DNA of our actions” is the forerunner of the shift taken by the FIQ and FIQP to place union action at the heart of their mobilization. They debated the fundamental issues and adopted guidelines that will become the basis for union reps’ actions in the coming years.
“I begin my second term of office with determination, with a renewed team that will also be able to rely on experienced members. Starting tomorrow, all our energy will be focused on our negotiations and getting the best collective agreement for the 76,000 healthcare professionals we represent. That’s the priority. Guided by feminist values, the basis of our DNA, our organization has in the past instigated major innovative reforms in the health network designed to improve not only the working conditions of the women who make up the network and which have contributed to the well-being of our communities. Our major upcoming projects, including the adoption of a provincial standard on professional healthcare-to-patient ratios, the mobilization of union representatives, the place of women in places of power, and the long road towards awareness of systemic racism, make us all agents of change with real power over the course of things. The next 4 years will be marked by a firm commitment to connect our struggles with the reality in the field. I am proud to belong to the FIQ, the largest labour organization of women in North America.”
Nancy Bédard, présidente, Fédération interprofessionnelle de la santé du Québec–FIQ
The FIQ Executive Committee will also include:
- Shirley Dorismond, Vice-President
- Patrick Guay, Vice-President, reserved nurse position
- Nathalie Levesque, Vice-President reserved licensed practical nurse position
- Isabelle Groulx, Vice-President reserved respiratory therapist position
- Kathleen Bertrand, Vice-President
- Jérôme Rousseau, Vice-President
- Isabelle Trépanier, Secretary
- Roberto Bomba, Treasurer
Sonia Mancier, re-elected as president of the FIQP
“We have a great responsibility to our union reps, our members and to our patients, because our struggles speak for them. The pandemic widely reported that the elderly and most vulnerable in our society do not have the resources to ensure their well-being and access to safe and dignified care. This will be a key issue in the post-pandemic years. I begin a second term of office with the firm conviction that we have the potential to initiate the cultural change that is needed. I am firmly committed to this.”
Sonia Mancier, présidente, Fédération interprofessionnelle de la santé du Québec | Secteur privé
The FIQP Executive Committee will include:
- Patricia Conrath, Nurse Vice-President
- Isabelle Noiseux, Licensed Practical Nurse Vice-President
- Justine Shepherd, Secretary
- Martine Tremblay Treasurer
Unanimous adoption of Joyce’s Principle
The Federations are reaffirming their strong commitment to fight against systemic racism: “Our work is clear that there is a need to recognize racism in its systemic dimension and to demand that our institutions act to rid us of it. We will embody this struggle and we want to be allies of reconciliation”, stated Nancy Bédard and Sonia Mancier.
Developed by the Conseil des Atikamekw de Manawan and the Conseil de la Nation Atikamekw following the tragic death of Joyce Echaquan, Joyce’s Principle aims to ensure that all Indigenous people have an equal right of access, without any discrimination, to all health and social services, and the right to enjoy the highest attainable standard of physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual health.