While Bill 15 was not submitted to a real public debate, while many organizations directly affected were not heard, while practically all of the amendments submitted to the parliamentary committee were refused, its adoption under gag order last Saturday demonstrates the control that the Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ) wants to exercise over Quebec society, and particularly over women.
The Dubé reform in fact constitutes a setback for workers in the health, social services and community networks, but also for women entitled to health care and services. Women must be involved in decisions that involve them and directly affect them. The CAQ government will find us in its path and we will not back down. We, the signatories of this letter, say: no, enough is enough! The Dubé reform is anything but health.
While the term “exploit women” is now considered unparliamentary, we can only protest against the fact that, on the ground, the exploitation of women’s labor continues. Should we remember that just last year, Quebec women earned 90% of the salary of Quebecers, which symbolically marks November 25 as the day from which women work for free? Should we remember that the workers in our public networks are 80% female workers?
Should we also remember that, according to data from the Institute of Statistics of Quebec (ISQ), public service workers lag behind by 7.4% in terms of overall compensation and a 16.6% delay in wages?
And the icing on the cake: Bill 15, under the pretext of making our public system more efficient, accentuates this tendency to devalue and control women’s work. The vision of the Minister of Health, Christian Dubé, for our health and social services network is so centralizing and authoritarian that it abolishes practically all spaces of citizen power in favor of “ top guns » from the private sector and an agency that will become Canada’s largest employer.
This vision threatens the autonomy of workers, community groups and midwives in identifying best practices, which will ultimately have consequences for women’s free choice. Even though women are the main users of these services, nothing is proposed in terms of prevention, social determinants of health or the well-being of the population.
The desire, moreover, of Minister Dubé not to include social services in the name of the future Agence santé Québec says a lot on this subject. We therefore invite women and their allies to express their opposition to the Dubé reform by wearing the purple square.
* Also signed this letter (one person per organization): Nathalie Arguin, secretary of the CSN; Katia Lelievre, 3e vice-president of the CSN; Stéphanie Vallée, L’R of the women’s centers of Quebec; Mélissa Lessard, Documentation Center on Adult Education and the Status of Women (CDEACF); Nadia Morissette, L’R of the women’s centers of Quebec; Mandolin Blier and Katie Dufresne, Autonomy in Self Women’s Center; Marie-Claude Goudreault, Maison des femmes des Bois-Francs; Judith Huot, Federation of Health and Social Services (FSSS-CSN); Mercédez Roberge, Table of provincial groupings of community and voluntary organizations; Marie-Andrée Gauthier, Network of Regional Tables of Women’s Groups in Quebec; Louise Boivin, Action Research Collective on work and socio-economic association (CREATAS); Geneviève Lamarche, Health Solidarity Coalition; Mylène Bigaouette, Federation of women’s shelters; Roxanne Lorrain, Movement for autonomy in childbirth; Marjolaine Goudreau, president and spokesperson for RECIFS; Sylvain Dubé, Community Mental Health Network (COSME); Karen Messing, SAGE (Health, Gender, Equality) Labor Research Team, University of Quebec in Montreal; Jessica Riel, director of the SAGE Labor Research Team and professor at the School of Management Sciences, Université du Québec à Montréal; Isabelle Marchand, professor, Department of Social Work, University of Quebec en Outaouais; Ruth Rose, retired professor of economics, UQAM; Sylvie Riendeau Langlais, Entre Ailes Women’s Center; Dominique Damant, School of Social Work, University of Montreal; Milca Bibeau, Quebec Federation for Family Planning (FQPN); Andrée-Anne Chevrier, coordinator of the La Sentin’Elle Women’s Group; Gabrielle Juneau, director of the Women’s Quarter; Colette Cummings, Intervention Council for Women’s Access to Work (CIAFT); Véronique Dommerc, Laval Women’s Center; Jeanine Fournier, Coordinator Regroupement des femmes de la Côte-de-Gaspé; Jolyane Annett, facilitator-speaker, Regroupement des femmes de la Côte-de-Gaspé; Mathilde Trou, Group of homes for women victims of domestic violence; Nathalie Latreille, L’Éclaircie Women’s Center; Sylvie St-Amand, Federation of Quebec Women; Véronique Laflamme, FRAPRU; Sarah Landry, Midwifery Coalition; Line Camerlain, first vice-president, Centrale des syndicats du Québec; Annie Tanguay, The Collective of Women of Nicolet and region; Josyane Giroux, Midwives of Quebec group; Caroline Quesnel, president FNEEQ-CSN; Rose Ngo Ndjel, women’s Africa director; Ghazala Munawar, Center C coordinator; Carole Boulebsol, professor, University of Quebec in Outaouais; Constance Allain, L’Antre-Hulloises Women’s Center; Megan Audet, L’Érige Women’s Center; Joanne Blais, Mauricie Women’s Movement Consultation Table (TCMFM); Cynthia Damboise, Ô Pays Women’s Center; Mélanie Lefrançois, professor, School of Management Sciences, University of Quebec in Montreal (ESG UQAM) and member of the SAGE interdisciplinary research team on work; Karine Drolet, Chaudière-Appalaches Women’s Group Network; Lucie Martin, Signed Women, Rivière-Rouge women’s center; Isabelle Bazinet, With Elles; Nathalie Bernier, Consultation table of Bas-Saint-Laurent women’s groups; Etni Cortés, Women’s Center of Montreal East/Pointe-aux-Trembles; Hamida Melouane, Assembly of Outaouais regional intervention women’s groups; Ghazala Munawar, South Asian Women’s Community Center; Sandra Etienne, vice-president, Alliance of Professional and Technical Personnel in Health and Social Services (APTS); Josée Turbis, Women of Today Center; Marie-Eve Desroches, Table of Montreal women’s groups; Linda Crevier, Montérégie women’s group consultation table; Justine Chénier, Quebec Regroupement des centers d’aide et de combat contre les molestations of a sexual nature (RQCALACS); Catherine Paquet, La Marie Debout women’s education center; Cyrielle Casse, Documentation Center on Adult Education and the Status of Women (CDEACF); Marie-Andrée Painchaud-Mathieu, Intersectoral Regroupment of Community Organizations of Montreal (RIOCM); Élise Landriault-Dupont, Regroupement des groups de femmes de la Capitale-Nationale; Andrée Pelletier, Le Havre des femmes; Isabelle Thibault, Laurentian Women’s Network (RFL); Clara Bastiani, Témiscamingue Women’s Center; Christine Drolet, Center for Education and Action for Women of Montreal (CEAF); Audrey Corriveau, Center-Women of Bellechasse; Lucie Gosselin, Beauport Women’s Resource Center; Shana Blanchette, Center for help and fight against sexual assault (CALACS Rive-Sud); JC Chayer, L’Essentielle Women’s Center; Josée Robidas, Women’s Center So be it; Mylène Beaulieu, Regroupement des femmes de la Côte-Nord; Marika Poulin, L’Ancrage Women’s Center; Marianne Pertuiset-Ferland, Feminist Association for Education and Social Action (AFEAS); Claudie Hovington, Women’s Alliance Women’s Center, North Shore; Christiane Bourgault, La Jardilec Women’s Centre; Pauline Bélanger, Central Council of Bas-Saint-Laurent, CSN; Annette Herbeuval, Central Council of Montérégie, CSN; Monic Brazeau, Center Femmes aux 4 Vents, Côte-Nord; Martine Duchesne, Quebec Public and Parapublic Service Union; Manon Tremblay, Central Council of Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean, CSN; Caroline Dépault, Quebec Regroupement des CALACS; Micheline Guillaume, Témiscouata–Bas-Saint-Laurent Women’s Center; Karine Harvey, Women in the Plural Center in La Malbaie; Julie Drolet, Longueuil Women’s Center; Annik Gagné-Laferrière, ESPACE Quebec region; Nathalie Lizotte, Îlot d’Espoir Women’s Center, N-du-Q; Nathalie Babin, Centr’Elles coordinator, Avignon women’s action committee; Mélanie Landry, Centr’Elles speaker-facilitator, Avignon women’s action committee; Joanie Béland, Laval consultation table on the status of women; Annie-Christine Tardif, Autonomous Education Federation; Christine Arseneault-Boucher, facilitator-speaker, La Sentin’Elle women’s group; Lyne Monette, president AFEAS Lachute; Françoise Ramel, Interprofessional Health Federation of Quebec (FIQ); Marie-Eve Blanchard, Respected Births Group (RNR); Johanie Dupras Renaud, provincial manager for the status of women, Centrale des syndicatsdemocratiques (CSD); Diane Thomas, regional manager for the status of women Quebec/Chaudière-Appalaches, CSD; Jordanne Lavoie, regional manager for the status of women Richelieu/Yamaska, CSD; Véronique l’Heureux, regional manager for the status of women in Estrie, CSD; Adèle Tremblay, regional manager for the status of women Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean, CSD; Joanie Lussier, regional manager for the status of women in Montreal, CSD; Cynthia Gauthier, regional manager for the status of women Mauricie/Centre-du-Québec, CSD; Kim Paradis, union advisor, Central of Democratic Unions, CSD; Gabrielle Pitre, Consultation table of women’s groups of Montérégie (TCGFM); Kathleen Couture, mental health coordinator, L’Arc-en-Ciel des Seigneuries, mental health support group; Tania Bond, coordinator, À la Source Sept-Îles and Port-Cartier; Jade St-Georges, mother at the front (MAF) and doctoral student in management, Laval University; Rosalie Fournier-Paré, co-coordinator, ROSE du Nord; Maud Provost, Community organization, Women’s Action Network in Health and Social Services (RAFSSS); Annick Charette, president, National Federation of Communication and Culture (FNCC-CSN); Isabelle Auclair, professor, Laval University; Céline Beauregard, Signée Femmes, the Women’s Center of the MRC of Antoine-Labelle; Katherine Robitaille, doctoral student in management, Laval University; Kimberley Plante, L’Égide shelter (2e stage)