2023 board candidates

Age:60
Montreal (Québec)
Director since September 19, 2020

Independence status
Not independent

Areas of expertise

• Services/Social economics
• Governance/Board of directors
• Training/Education
• Union relations

Background – Bio
Mr. Loïc Breton is President of the Syndicat des employées et employés professionnels-les et de bureau (SEPB-Québec) since 2016. His union involvement began in 1991. Since then, he has occupied various positions within the SEPB, including as president of SEPB-574, recruiter, union trainer and representative of his organization before various union bodies.

Mr. Breton holds a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science from McGill University.

Socio-economic involvement
Mr. Breton has served as a director and an employer representative on the Retirement Committee of SEPB-Québec since 2017. In this role, he has been involved in the review and development of new investment policies for the plan. In addition, he sits on the National Executive of SEPB-COPE and has worked, among other things, on the preparation of the investment policy of the Fonds de défense du syndicat Canadien.

Role within the Fonds de solidarité FTQ bodies
DirectorMember, Investment Committee - Innovation and venture capital

Other external directorships
None

Age: 54
Laval (Québec)
Director since November 29, 2013

Independence status
Not independent

Areas of expertise

• Services/Consumerism/Culture/Social economics
• Governance/Board of directors
• Training/Education
• Strategic planning
• Human resources
• Pension plans/RRSPs/Savings

Background – Bio
Ms. Anouk Collet has acted as principal advisor to the National President of UFCW Canada (United Food and Commercial Workers Union) since May 2016. She is also Vice-President of the FTQ. Prior to that, from 2008 to 2016, she was the Regional Director (Québec) and national representative for UFCW Canada and, from 2001 to 2008, she was Coordinator of the UFCW legal department of Local 500. She began her career as assistant to the Canadian Director of UNITE (Union of Needletrades, Industrial and Textile Employees), a position that she held from 1997 to 2001.

Ms. Collet has a Law degree from Université de Montréal, and is a member of the Barreau du Québec. She also has a Master’s degree in Industrial Relations. Ms. Collet is a member of the Chambre de la sécurité financière and is a certified corporate director.

Socio-economic involvement
Actively engaged in the community, Anouk Collet represents the FTQ on the Commission des partenaires du marché du travail, a provincial consultation body comprised of representatives of various public and private sector organizations dedicated to improving the efficiency of the labour market and overcoming its many challenges. She also served on the board of directors of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society of Canada from 2012 to 2018, and is a member of its Governance Committee.

Role within the Fonds de solidarité FTQ bodies
Director
Member, Investment Committee – Innovation and Venture Capital

Other external directorships
Co-chair and secretary-treasurer of the board of directors of the Sector Committee of Détail Québec and member of the Audit and Risk Committee.

Age: 60
Montréal (Québec)

Independence status
Independent

Areas of expertise

• Services/Social economics
• Governance/Board of directors
• Taxation
• Strategic planning
• Pension plans

Background – Bio
Mr. Bastien Deschênes has been Chief Taxation Officer at Hydro-Québec since January 2017, where he also served as a tax consultant and team leader from 1990 to 2016. His duties include managing a team of tax specialists for Canada and the United States. In his role, he ensures the group’s tax compliance and provides advice relating to investments, projects and new contracts.

Mr. Deschênes also worked for the Canadian Department of National Revenue and the National Transportation Agency of Canada as an auditor from 1988 to 1990.

He is a member of the Quebec CPA Order and holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from HEC Montréal (affiliated with Université de Montréal).

Socio-economic involvement
Mr. Bastien Deschênes is a member of Hydro-Québec’s Retirement Committee. He was also involved in the Taxation Committee of the Quebec CPA Order. Finally, as a member of the Tax Executives Institute and a member of committees of Electricity Canada, he participated in discussions with tax authorities in order to clarify the application of tax laws.

Role within the Fonds de solidarité FTQ bodies
None

Other external directorships
Chair of the board of directors of Floralies III (syndicate of co-owners)

Age: 49
Saint-Denis-sur-Richelieu (Québec)

Director since October 15, 2022

Independence status
Not independent

Areas of expertise

• Services/Social economics
• Governance/Board of directors
• Strategic planning
• Training/Education
• Union relations

Background – Bio
Mr. Éric Gingras has been President of the Centrale des syndicats du Québec (CSQ) since 2021. From 2013 to 2021, he was President of the Syndicat de Champlain. Prior to that, he was a teacher at the Centre de services scolaires Marie-Victorin from 1996 to 2004.

Mr. Gingras holds a Bachelor’s degree in Education from Université de Montréal.

Socio-economic involvement
Mr. Gingras is a member of the Committee of the Commission des partenaires du marché du travail and of the Comité consultatif du travail et de la main-d’œuvre. He has held various positions in the union environment, including fifteen years with the Syndicat de Champlain.

Role within the Fonds de solidarité FTQ bodies
None

Other external directorships
None

Age: 62
Montreal (Québec)
Director since October 26, 2017

Independence status
Not independent

Areas of expertise

• Services/Social economics
• Governance/Board of directors
• Human resources
• Pension plans/RRSPs/Savings

Background – Bio
Ms. Sylvie Nelson was elected President of the Syndicat québécois des employées et des employés de service, Local 298 (FTQ) (SQEES-298) in 2017, and was re-elected in 2022. Member of the FTQ office where she serves as Vice-President, she is also Vice-President of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU).

Ms. Nelson completed her studies in special education and since then has always been involved in the union sector. In 1997, she was hired as a union consultant for the Member Services Department of the SQEES-298. In 2010, she took over as leader of training services. Named Secretary-General of the SQEES-298 in 2011, she assumed political responsibility for training services, the political action committee, the intercultural committee and the mobilization committee, in addition to managing administrative personnel. In 2016, Ms. Nelson was elected Vice-President of the FTQ, representing the women of the FTQ.

Socio-economic involvement
Ms. Nelson has been involved with the union movement for over 35 years. She has assisted in coordinating complex issues, including pay relativity and pay equity, in both the public and private sectors.

Role within the Fonds de solidarité FTQ bodies
Director

Other external directorships
None

Age:39

Longueuil, Québec

Independence status
Independent

Areas of expertise

• Brand strategy
• Digital marketing
• Project management

Background – Bio
Ms. Pauline Vaccaro has been Director of Marketing Strategy at Ici On Aime Inc. since 2021. She has over 15 years of experience in digital strategy, communications and marketing. She has collaborated on branding and content projects for the Fonds de solidarité FTQ and ING Direct in France. Her university training and expertise in marketing and project management enable her to work regularly with senior management to build projects based on collaboration and collective intelligence.

In 2007, Ms. Vaccaro obtained a Master's degree in Information and Communication from the Université du Sud Toulon-Var in France.

Socio-economic involvement
Ms. Vaccaro is also a member of the Board of Directors of CPE Pierrot La Lune Inc. in Longueuil which now has 5 facilities on the territory. 

Role within the Fonds de solidarité FTQ bodies
None

Other external directorships
None