Strikes in the public sector | The actors in place

The Common Front brings together 420,000 workers from four unions (FTQ, CSN, CSQ and APTS). Who are their leaders? And who represents the government in the negotiations? Overview of the forces present.

Magali Picard, president of the FTQ

The first woman and first indigenous person at the head of the Quebec Federation of Workers (FTQ), Magali Picard, “proud Wendate of Wendake”, launched when she took office in January 2023: “We’re going to rock together!” » In an interview with The Canadian Press, she declared that it was her desire for social justice that pushed her towards unionism. In October 2023, she told Quebec Journal the many trials of her life: the death of her 10-year-old daughter (nearly 19 years ago), her heart attack in April 2022, the hockey accident which confined her ex-husband to a wheelchair and the detention of her partner’s son in a psychiatric hospital after he killed a man with a stick.

Caroline Senneville, president of the CSN

The second woman to be president of the Confederation of National Trade Unions (CSN) in its 103-year history, Caroline Senneville describes herself in her biography as a “fervent feminist activist”. In the 1990s, it was at CEGEP Limoilou, where she taught, that she first became interested in trade unionism in the context of an education reform which had, she has already explained, significant impacts for teachers. She has been in full-time trade unionism for 22 years now. She was elected president of the CSN in June 2021, after serving as first vice-president from May 2017.

Éric Gingras, president of the CSQ

A native of Côte-des-Neiges, in Montreal, Éric Gingras became president of the Centrale des syndicats du Québec (CSQ) in June 2021. First teaching primary school for eight years with students from disadvantaged backgrounds in Montreal and Longueuil, he has been a trade unionist for 20 years and also the author of the book Plea for current unionismpublished in 2021. In this work, he pleads for a modernization of unions at a time when their role is less central in society than at a certain time and when they are increasingly considered “as simple collective agreement negotiators.

Robert Comeau, president of the APTS

A medical imaging technologist, Robert Comeau worked at the Trois-Rivières Health and Social Services Center from 1994. His union involvement dates back to the early 2000s. He was named president of the Alliance of Professional and Technical Personnel of Health and Social Services (APTS) for the first time in 2021 and was reappointed to this position in 2023. This union represents the majority of professional and technical staff in the public health and social services sector.

Sonia LeBel, President of the Treasury Board

President of the Treasury Board, Sonia LeBel first became known to the general public between 2012 and 2015 as chief prosecutor at the Charbonneau commission which focused on the construction industry. For 26 years, she was a criminal and penal prosecutor, focusing in particular on convicting drug traffickers and street gang members. In 2011, she had already tasted public life by being at the forefront of the strike by Crown prosecutors, who denounced their working conditions. She made the leap into politics in 2017 by joining the Coalition Avenir Québec.

Mathieu LeBrun, conciliator

At the request of the Common Front, the Legault government appointed a conciliator to try to resolve the impasse. At the Ministry of Labor since 2012, Mathieu LeBrun is considered in the industry as an ace in negotiation and collective labor relations. It was with his contribution that the 18-month strike at the Société québécoise du cannabis was resolved last week. Last summer, he also helped resolve the conflict in the casinos. In October, he helped bring the parties together The Press as part of a collective agreement renewal that was difficult to draft. On his LinkedIn page, he says he is “pushing the limits of traditional modes of negotiation” and “seeks to advance dialogue beyond prescribed boundaries”.