The Federal Minister of Sports, Pascale St-Onge, testified on Friday concerning her involvement in the case of retirees from Groupe Capitales Médias (GCM) who are before the Administrative Labor Tribunal against the CSN and Unifor unions.
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Mme St-Onge held the position of Secretary General of the National Federation of Communications (FNC) affiliated with the CSN and subsequently assumed the presidency, before becoming the Member of Parliament for Brome-Missisquoi in the last federal election.
Last July, she terminated her employment relationship with La Presse since she had been on unpaid leave for several years.
She still retains a stake in the employee pension fund.
memory lapses
The lawyer for pensioners, Mr.e François Leduc, questioned Mr.me St-Onge Friday on his involvement in the recovery plan and the repercussions of its implementation for retirees who had to undergo the termination of their plan, which led to the amputation of their pension.
The member’s testimony was marked by several memory lapses.
“To my recollection, there were grievances filed by the unions and representations on the side of Retraite Québec”, she answered the question of Ms.e Leduc who wanted to know if the 2015 transaction between Gesca and Martin Cauchon had been analyzed at the FNC.
“I do not remember having made representations directly to Retraite Québec in 2015,” she added.
Mme St-Onge intervened by sending a letter addressed to André Desmarais, President and Co-Chief Executive Officer of Power Corporation, requesting the continuation of the plan, but it was refused.
“The business plan that was prepared at the request of the CSN to form a cooperative has frozen the question of the termination of pension plans as an essential condition for the takeover by the coops and the union,” reacted Ms.e The Duke.
Complaint to the administrative court
The retirees have lodged a complaint with the Administrative Labor Tribunal because they consider that the unions have failed in their duty of representation.
Mme St-Onge will continue his testimony on November 4.
The thread of events
- March 2015: Businessman Martin Cauchon acquires six regional dailies belonging to Gesca;
- December 2017: Faced with the company’s financial difficulties, Investissement Québec grants a loan of $10 million;
- August 2019: Groupe Capitales Médias places itself under the law on bankruptcy and insolvency;
- December 2019: Formation of solidarity cooperatives and approval of the plan of arrangement with creditors which provides for the termination of pension plans;
- September 2021: Start of hearings before the administrative tribunal of 252 unionized retirees before Judge Line Lanseigne;