Even today, many barriers stand in the way of Quebecers with physical or mental limitations in their quest for a job that matches their qualifications. A persistent discrimination that several social economy enterprises located in the two largest cities of the province wish to counter.
Jean-Baptiste Nkurunziza is full of diplomas. Originally from Burundi, where a civil war during which he was tortured and stabbed left his hands paralyzed, the Montrealer notably accumulated a training in law, a bachelor’s degree in political science and a master’s degree in political science specializing in public and international affairs that he completed in 2016 at the University of Montreal.
However, after having been a teaching assistant from 2014 to 2016 at this university, then having worked in the community, the man with a frank look found himself in a dead end. “I could go through the process to take up a position and when I met the members of the committee presenting the position and all that, they changed their minds,” says Mr. Nkurunziza, who believes he has been the victim of discrimination based on his disability.
In 2019, he finally found a job as a security lieutenant for the social economy company Axia Services, in the borough of Saint-Léonard, where The duty met him on Friday. “Even if I earn less than I expected compared to my studies, it doesn’t matter. Because here, it represents my values,” he adds.
The social economy enterprise for which he works has given itself the mandate of hiring a large majority of employees with physical or mental limitations thanks to the financial support of Emploi-Québec.
Among the 650 employees of the company, which also has facilities in Laval, there is Raymond Lavoie, 59 years old. The latter worked for thirty years “in the transport sector”, before the reduction in his visual ability caused him to lose his driving licence. “It was a mourning, because you can’t forget 30 years of your life,” he says, surrounded by colleagues busy wrapping cinnamon sticks.
“It’s hard to find a normal job. You can only find it in the right places,” sighs Sophie Longpré, also met in this Montreal factory.
A situation which testifies to the importance of better financing, but also of making known the 37 adapted companies in Quebec, notes the deputy general manager of Axia Services, Pauline Pitocin.
“There is still a long way to go for people to know that these resources exist,” notes Ms.me Pitocin, who points out that companies like his offer various services, including access to psychosocial workers, in order to facilitate the retention of employees with various limitations.
Because the adapted companies are also faced with the shortage of manpower, notes the one who also organized an open day in the premises of the company on Friday. “Tomorrow, if you took 50 people with limitations who were looking for a job, they would have a job,” she says. “We also have a need for hiring. »
Assemble a community
In Quebec, the TAQ Group is an anomaly. Even though the city has the lowest unemployment rate in Canada, all of its 500 positions are filled. “There’s a ‘wow’ effect to working here,” explains the firm’s general manager, Gabriel Tremblay. “Every day we feel that we are changing people’s lives. »
In this subcontracting company, work is done with a smile on your face and pride in the corner of your eye. The tasks to be performed are often simple, but they lead some 350 employees with disabilities to happiness that is sometimes hard to find.
“In a regular business, everyone works for themselves,” observes Simon Motard-Thibault between two plastic cutouts. “Here, we have the atmosphere. We really are a team and I can talk to my bosses. The 30-year-old employee worked as a material handler in the past. “We realized that I had some small difficulties. It was too intense for me,” he says. “I was always asked to supply the board. Here, he contributes at his own pace to the production of snowshoes, allowing Groupe TAQ to become one of the most important manufacturers in the world in the field.
The social economy enterprise manufactures various products, but above all it helps to bring together a community.
Anne Simard, suffering from partial paralysis since birth, has worked for the group for 40 years. It is here that she met her friends and her lover David, with whom she is about to celebrate 10 years of tenderness. “My work has helped me to flourish in my personal life,” says the 60-year-old lady. Dean of the team, she has known three bosses and seen the company grow – to brew sales figures of 17 million dollars today.
The company thrives while remaining true to its social values. “We really see that people are happy because for the first time in their life, they feel respected somewhere,” says Mr. Tremblay.
The Director General emphasizes the contribution that people with disabilities can make to the economy and society. “There are still 110,000 people with disabilities on social assistance in Quebec. Of the 110,000, I am convinced that there are 5,000 or 10,000 who can work. Imagine the potential! he explains.
In three years, gives the boss as an example, 13,000 disabled people have left social assistance after being recruited by the private sector. “It represents 200 million dollars saved for the government. Per year ! Did you hear about it during the campaign? »