Jacques Painchaud is the new president of the Quebec Provincial Police Association (APPQ). The outgoing president, Dominic Ricard, left his post last month.
Posted at 6:48 p.m.
Mr. Painchaud was until now Vice-President for Discipline and Ethics of the Association of Provincial Police Officers of Quebec (APPQ).
Last month, Dominic Ricard announced his resignation, while negotiations on the renewal of the police employment contract are stalling.
“After more than a year of negotiations, we have to admit that the Treasury Board has a lack of knowledge of the police profession and that it has no recognition of the involvement and work of a police force in level 6 “, had then written Mr. Ricard on Facebook.
The association has been in negotiations since 2021 for the renewal of the employment contract of the police officers of the Sûreté du Québec (SQ), which expired last March.
Compulsory overtime, staff retention and psychological health among police officers have been discussed at the bargaining table for the past few weeks.
The new president of the association, Mr. Painchaud, said he was ready to step up the means of pressure, if there is no progress at the bargaining table. “I’m here to claim the respect and recognition we deserve,” he said in a message to members on Tuesday.
“The departure of the outgoing president does not have the effect of restarting the current negotiations from scratch”, he also indicated, adding that the various departures within the Executive Bureau since the beginning of the mandate are causing “a lot of movement at the among the members of the board of directors.
In fact, last week, the vice-president of finance for the Quebec Provincial Police Association (APPQ), Charles Hopson, was relieved of his duties, which he had held since November 2020, after being surprised with a escort. He is now the subject of a disciplinary and criminal investigation.
With Louis-Samuel Perron and Delphine Belzile, The Press