Death of trade unionist and columnist Réjean Parent

The former president of the Centrale des syndicats du Québec (CSQ) and columnist for Montreal Journal Réjean Parent died Wednesday at the age of 71. The Champlain Union, which Réjean Parent chaired from 1984 to 2003, made the announcement on its website in the evening.

“We thank him for having participated in Quebec’s social debates, particularly those concerning education, throughout his life,” wrote the union affiliated with the CSQ, which represents nearly 13,500 teachers and support staff.

“Réjean Parent, former president of the CSQ from 2003 to 2012, left his mark on the Quebec union landscape,” declared the current president of the CSQ, Éric Gingras, on the social network X. His commitment from the 1^D time, particularly in education, has had a profound impact on our society.”

A specialist in education issues, Réjean Parent, who began his career as a physical education teacher, served as president of the CSQ for nine years, from 2003 to 2012. “We managed to focus on underprivileged children. We scored points in the various collective agreements,” he confided to the Duty in July 2012, in an interview in the form of a review.

He said he was leaving with a sense of duty accomplished, even if he was leaving his position with “a certain bitterness” since certain issues had not yet been resolved at the time of his departure, including that of the student strikes of spring 2012.

After his union career, he contributed to public debate as a commentator in the media, notably in Montreal Journalwhere he was a columnist.

In a column published on April 10 in The Montreal JournalMr. Parent revealed that he had contracted the respiratory syncytial virus in early January. His doctors reportedly feared for his life, but he picked up his pen again a few months later. He has had several health problems in recent years.

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