SOCIAL SECURITY
SSQ Insurance is now Beneva

Last year, SSQ Insurance and La Capitale joined forces to become the largest insurance mutual in Canada. The company is now operating as Beneva. The merger and new name haven’t affected our contract – your plan and coverages remain exactly the same as before. Here’s a letter from the outgoing president and the new president.

Have questions about your retirement and group insurance plans?

More than 850 members signed up for our February webinars on the RREGOP (the Government and Public Employees Retirement Plan). If you still have questions after attending, feel free to reach out to Catherine Lévesque, our social security technician. In addition to providing an overview of the RREGOP and Beneva group insurance plans, she can answer any specific questions you may have. Catherine can also calculate your estimated RREGOP retirement income. You can write to her at retraite.assurance@aptsq.com.

FEMINIST ACTION
Petition for anti-oppressive sexual education

The APTS is supporting Coalition ÉduSex’s campaign to raise awareness about key issues affecting sexual education. The Coalition’s objectives are to:

• increase funding to schools and community organizations for quality sexual education
• implement adequate support measures (initial and ongoing training) for educators so they can develop the proficiency and sensitivity to address the various issues

We encourage you to join us in supporting their demand for positive, inclusive, and anti-oppressive sexual education by adding your name to the petition available on the Coalition ÉduSex website. You can sign it using your name or that of your local APTS executive.

ORGANIZATION OF WORK AND PROFESSIONAL ISSUES
Advisory opinion on mental health services

On February 3, the APTS presented an advisory opinion during the consultations on the mental health impacts of the pandemic and the interministerial action plan for mental health. The APTS document highlights issues such as service underfunding, the purchase of psychotherapy services from the private sector, and the staff shortage, which is particularly acute for psychologists. Rather than turning to the private sector, health and social services minister Lionel Carmant should develop effective solutions for attracting the personnel needed to provide all Quebecers with free, high-quality care. The APTS also strongly condemned the government’s strategy to manipulate waiting lists and its commitment to performance management. Finally, the document includes a warning to Minister Carmant about the problems that may arise from Québec’s program for mental disorders (Programme québécois pour les troubles mentaux) – a program that could hinder the autonomy and judgement of professionals.

SOCIO-POLITICAL ACTION
Systemic racism: Joyce's Principle in the news

The APTS is firmly committed to fighting systemic racism and favours the adoption of Joyce’s Principle, which constitutes a formal request for governments to respect Indigenous law and protect Indigenous rights relative to health care and social services. While the Legault government has refused to adopt the principle, a growing number of supporters are standing behind it. You can read more on the subject in this opinion piece from La Presse.

The federal government also held meetings on how to eliminate systemic racism in the healthcare system. The CBC covered the story.

Major victory for trans and non-binary people

The Superior Court of Québec recently rendered an important decision in a legal challenge filed by the Centre for Gender Advocacy. In its decision, the Court:

• Deemed unconstitutional the requirement that people can only be designated as either male or female.
• Struck down the requirement to be a Canadian citizen in order to change one’s name or gender on their official documents.

More information is available on the Centre for Gender Advocacy website.