Pascal Saint-Onge was preceded by his past as a trade unionist

Federal Sports Minister Pascale St-Onge testified on Friday in a case involving retirees from Groupe Capitales Médias (GCM) at the Administrative Labor Tribunal against the CSN and Unifor unions.

• Read more: GCM retirees continue their struggle

M^me St-Onge held the position of General Secretary of the CSN-affiliated Confederation of National Communications (FNC) before becoming the Member of Parliament for Brome-Missisquoi in the last federal election, assuming the presidency.

Last July, he ended his employment relationship with La Presse after years of unpaid leave.

He still holds shares in the Employees’ Pension Fund.

Memory declines

Pensioners Advocate Mr.^e François Leduc, Mr.^me St-Onge Friday’s involvement in the rescue plan and the consequences of its implementation for retirees who had to terminate their plan led to the freezing of their pensions.

The member’s testimony was marked by several memory lapses.

“To my recollection, complaints were filed by the unions and by representations on the part of Retride Quebec”, he said in response to a question from Ms.^e Leduc wanted to know if the 2015 transaction between Gesca and Martin Cauchon had been analyzed at FNC.

“I don’t recall directly representing Retraite Québec in 2015,” he added.

M^me St-Onge intervened by sending a letter to André Desmarais, president and co-CEO of Power Corporation, requesting that the project proceed, but was denied.

“The business plan prepared at the request of CSN to form the cooperative has frozen the question of termination of the pension plans as an essential condition for the cooperative and takeover by the union,” Ms.^e Duke.

Complaint to administrative court

Retirees have filed complaints with the Administrative Labor Tribunal as they feel the unions have failed in their duty of representation.

M^me St-Onge will continue his testimony on November 4.

A thread of events

• March 2015: Businessman Martin Cousin buys six regional newspapers owned by Keska;
• December 2017: Faced with the company’s financial problems, Investissement Québec provides a $10 million loan;
• August 2019: Group Capitals Medias has covered itself under the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Act;
• December 2019: Approving a plan of arrangement with creditors for the formation of solidarity cooperatives and termination of pension schemes;
• September 2021: 252 Commencement of hearing before Judge Lyne Lanzine before the Union Retirees’ Administrative Tribunal;