Magali Picard officially became Thursday the first woman and the first Aboriginal to chair the largest trade union center in Quebec, the Federation of Workers of Quebec (FTQ).
Elected without opposition, she will be able to benefit from the experience of the number two of the FTQ, Denis Bolduc, who is beginning a second term as secretary general. The 1,200 delegates from the plant gave him a long ovation; some spoke of a “historic” moment for the organization.
Sometimes moved to tears, Mme Picard first spoke to the delegates about social justice, pride and fighting spirit. “Proud Wendate of Wendake,” she said in an interview that she brings “new energy” to the head of the central of more than 600,000 members, although she still has twenty years of activism behind her.
How will his leadership differ from the previous one? “Different is a big word: I would rather say bring new energy. I really want to infuse a new approach. What I want is to make the FTQ accessible. I want to bring together not only the activists of the FTQ, but the entire labor community in Quebec. She, who comes from a large union in the federal public sector, believes that the struggles of private and public workers “are quite similar”. They talk about health and safety, work-family balance, minimum wage, telecommuting, for example.
“The expectations, for women, for equity groups, for many people, the expectations are high, the hopes are there. And my intention is to continue what the FTQ has been doing for several years and also to bring my colors and my experience,” she said.
Governments and other unions
The one who has mainly dealt with the federal government will have to work with the government of the Coalition avenir Québec, deemed not very sympathetic to the unions.
“I am the spokesperson for 600,000 workers. [Les membres du gouvernement] have no choice but to sit with us, chat and listen to us. We are there to send them information, requests that are essential for security, for the future of Quebec, and to remind them how essential public services are,” she said.
In terms of its relations with other labor organizations, we have to rely on the FTQ’s tradition of openness to all—something that not all labor organizations have. “Within the FTQ, we saw a unit that is very inspiring. We have no choice but to work together. The FTQ will certainly have discussions with the FIQ [Fédération interprofessionnelle de la santé, qui représente les infirmières], with the whole common front. We must unite our strength, which is immense, ”she says.
She quickly becomes passionate when told about the minimum wage, which will drop from $14.25 to $15.25 per hour on the 1er next May. For some time now, the FTQ has been campaigning for it to go “minimally to $18 an hour”, a threshold that it said from the start that it would revise according to the inflationary and economic context. “These are often jobs held by women. How are we going to make this government understand that we see its game? That’s enough! May he respect the poorest in Quebec! We’re gonna fight for this until we win. It’s not normal that two people working for minimum wage need to go to a food bank. »