Pascale St-Onge describes herself to Group Capitals Media’s retirees

The federal minister of sports, Pascale Saint-Onge, is in Quebec City today, where she is testifying before an administrative labor tribunal regarding her actions while president of the CSN National Federation of Communications. Group Capitals Media will be cut from their pensions.

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With the cancellation of pension schemes – no condition allowing information co-operatives to take over bankrupt dailies after Martin Couchon’s takeover – pensioners lost between 20 and 30% of their pensions. than their group insurance.

According to documents filed before Judge Lyne Lansien, Ms.^me St-Onge took steps aimed at averting the worst, notably by sending a letter to André Desmarais, the president and co-chief executive officer of the power corporation, to ensure the plan’s continuity, at least for some time.

“Given the prevailing interest rates, it is clear that we are currently experiencing the worst time to finalize these plans. Over the years, the solvency deficit will be reduced and eventually eliminated. As the plan sponsor, you can choose the time you think is appropriate to proceed with their layoffs and thereby ensure that participants’ entitlements are paid 100%,” the letter, which was co-signed on October 30, 2019, said.

According to union counsel on file at the time, Eric Thibault, the response was an “impermissible termination.”

The hearings with the minister are continuing before the tribunal today.

The pensioners are trying to argue that they left their union when the newspapers were transferred to the co-operatives.