By email

Montreal, March 26, 2017

Mr. Rae Banwarie, President of MPPAC,

Mr. Brian Sauvé, Co‐Chair of the NPF,

The purpose of this letter is to unite the associations for the benefit of all Members of the RCMP and for the Force. In the near future, Bill C‐4 will receive Royal Assent from the Governor General and will come into effect by amending the Rules for Application for Certification under the Public Service Labour Relations Act. I know your lawyers will be lining up at the offices of the Public Service Labor Relations Board to file your applications for accreditation.

The collective good of the 18,000 Members of the RCMP must take precedence over the 4,000 or 5,000 members of your respective associations. The merger of the associations is the most effective and solidarity‐driven way to form the first Union of Members of the RCMP. We must unite to apply for accreditation and avoid legal delays and wars. At a time when we must show solidarity, we are divided and on the verge of entering into legal battles that will delay the process. We must unite in order to avoid internal wars, divisions and legal actions from the first day of our union. This situation will only delay the negotiation, the signing of the first collective agreement. All this will be to the advantage of the employer and to the detriment of the 18,000 Members. Our employer had the « home‐ice » advantage and power imbalance going their way for long enough. From the first day, we will have to focus on finding solutions for our members. We will have to work to improve and strengthen our organization. We can not get there quickly if we still have to work on our reconciliation and solidarity.

After the funeral of Constable Richer Dubuc last week, I had a conversation with Tom Stamatakis, ACP / CPA President who was also present. Mr. Stamatakis offered to participate in a meeting with one or two representatives from each of the three associations to facilitate our efforts to unite. With his vast experience, Mr Stamatakis could act as an observer, conciliator and mediator.

Considering that there is no consensus on forming a council of associations;
Considering that a merger has not materialized for various reasons;
Considering that the past and present use of the Legal Fund by the NPF and its representatives is an irritant for several members;
Considering the past history between MPAO and MPPAC in their merger;

To achieve this, I propose the following at this meeting. The representatives of each association will have to be there with the mandate to make decisions, compromises and reach a consensus. They will have to do it by putting the collective good of the Members and not their individual needs. We must be prepared to compromise, to forget the past and perhaps even to make personal sacrifices for the common good of our members. For my part, I would like to announce that I have no interest in the presidency of our future union for the next few years. I am working only to create winning conditions for the unionization of the RCMP from the very beginning.

I suggest a solution to solve the impasse: get our first union off to a good start by founding a single association that can make a single application for accreditation. This solution does not involve any merger or council. By the same token, we will have to write a new constitution and make a new signature campaign for the new association. We will also have to find a source of funding from members, on a voluntary basis, until accreditation by the Commission. Regarding the discomfort with the Legal Fund, I propose that the new association initiate a request to take over the management of the Legal Fund. An agreement will be required to declare that this Fund will be used only for future legal remedies. These will be inevitable for the legitimate attainment of all our bargaining power with the employer. The legal defense of the Members will at this time be the legal responsibility of the new union. What seems to be a step back of two to four weeks will actually serve to avoid six to twelve months of legal wars. We will also avoid working for reconciliation and rebuilding solidarity, since we will be united on Day 1 of the RCMP Union.

Think about it: the collective good of our 18,000 members requires it.

Awaiting a favorable response from you in the coming days.

Sincerely,

Serge Bilodeau
President ‐ AMPMQ