I would like to inform you about the latest steps that the Quebec Mounted Police Members’ Association (QMPMA) has taken regarding our unionization efforts.

The Supreme Court of Canada’s landmark decision on January 16, 2015 officially recognized our right to unionize. More than two years later, we are closer to reaching our goal. That’s because the QMPMA is set to file a request to unionize with Quebec’s Commission des relations de travail et de l’emploi dans la fonction publique.

For the past several months — and until very recently — our association repeatedly tried to bring the two other RCMP associations together for discussions about our common goal. Unfortunately, our efforts were not successful.

We were successful, meanwhile, in getting our colleagues from the Mounted Police Professional Association of Canada (MPPAC) and the National Police Federation (NPF) to participate in an upcoming discussion forum, to be mediated by Canadian Police Association (CPA) President Tom Stamatakis. The forum, which aims to bring all three RCMP associations together, will be held after Bill C-4 is adopted.

We will actively participate in these discussions and believe that this new initiative will bring all of the parties closer together. However, our association’s prime responsibility is to represent and protect the rights of our overall C Division membership, and that is what we intend to do.

The needs of our members across Quebec are specific and real. We must therefore be committed to defend these needs through this opportunity that the Supreme Court of Canada has given us. We will reach our objectives by reaching out to our members, and we believe that the best way to defend the interests of our RCMP brothers and sisters is to file this unionization request before the labour commission.

What does the future hold for us?

Let’s be very clear: the values and principles that are guiding our efforts are also supported by our desire to offer a representation system that is more adapted to the actual reality faced by our police officers who work within the RCMP. It is precisely for this reason that we plan on working to unite the associations and to implement collaborative tools that allow us to offer you an organization that meets your needs.  This is what we have done in the past and it’s what we will continue to do in the coming weeks.

The challenge of improving the working conditions for all RCMP officers is very important. We cannot afford to be in a position where we offer our members a plethora of different associations and a myriad of representation.

We must immediately work to unite our forces so that we may allow the men and women who proudly wear the RCMP uniform to achieve their aspirations. The Quebec Mounted Police Members’ Association represents these fine men and women, and we are committed to continue working for them.

Sincerely,

Serge Bilodeau
President
Quebec Mounted Police Members’ Association