Everyone deserves a decent retirement
"
More and more people are having difficulties when they retire because they didn't have the tools and information to plan for this important time. My aim is for everyone to be able to retire with dignity without having to change their day-to-day lives."
— Hélène, one of our 1,793 local representatives
Why it's important to us
Saving for retirement is central to our mission. It’s how we invest in ourselves.
The majority of Quebecers don’t have the tools to plan for retirement. Thousands of workers struggle just to save enough.
Our approach
Our goal is to help as many workers as possible save for their retirement — to empower you for the future.
From the very beginning, we’ve promoted retirement savings to Quebecers. We encourage financial literacy with a range of tools to help you understand how to plan for your retirement and we work in the field to provide you with better support. We’ve set ourselves the goal of helping 100,000 workers without a pension plan or whose salary is below the Québec average to start saving by May 31, 2027.
Improving financial knowledge
The more you know, the better you can save. We believe that sharing our financial knowledge across Québec can help you adopt good savings habits to prepare for your retirement.
Here’s how we did it this year:
We provided even more training for workers
Thanks to our Economic Training Centre programs, we've educated even more workers about contributing to an RRSP+ with the Fonds. We helped to raise their awareness and encouraged them to save for a decent retirement. What's more, we're constantly improving our training to meet ever-changing needs.
94
training courses taken by 1 131 workers in 2024[5]
We opened our webinars to all Quebecers
Some workers are afraid of not having enough money when they retire. Our webinars aim to simplify the concepts about retirement savings to help you start putting money aside. This year, over 3,000 people from all over Québec attended our webinar.
Planning for a decent retirement
How much should I save for my retirement? When is the best time to apply for government pensions? Our webinar will answer all your questions about saving for retirement. Yes, even the ones you're afraid to ask.
We created special training courses
In Québec, 21% fewer women contribute to an RRSP than men[4]. To address this gap, we've started developing a training course for women, plus one for immigrants.
Making it easier to save for retirement
Financial planning for retirement shouldn't be a headache. Our support service, tools and readily available advisory team have helped over 795,000 shareholder-savers[6] across the province to save.
Discover what we've done in the last year to make it easier for all Quebecers to save for retirement.
Retirement savings are for everyone
No matter who you are, your background, what you do or how much you can put aside, you have the power to invest in yourself.
Our savers can testify to that.
We helped employers give their employees access to an RRSP+
It's so much easier to save when you don’t have to think about it. That's why we're giving employers the tools they need to help their employees contribute to an RRSP+ right from their paycheque.
+ 16,500
employers in Québec offer their employees the opportunity to contribute to an RRSP.[5]
We opened the RRSP+ lump-sum contribution option
This solution gave workers without payroll deductions the opportunity to make a one-off contribution to the RRSP+ so they can manage their retirement and qualify for the 30% tax credit.
We refined our tools to make saving easier
By giving you access to user-friendly retirement planning tools, such as a free retirement calculator, we literally put the power to invest in your future in your hands. And we’re never far away when you need us.
We made sure our team was available to help you
We understand that some of you may prefer to talk to a person — not a chatbot — about your retirement plan. That’s why our mutual fund advisors and Saving Services team are at your disposal to answer your questions and guide you toward the best solutions for your situation. We take the time for you, with you.
Going to meet you across Québec
The best way to reach you is to go and meet you. With our network of local representatives and workplace coordinators, we’re helping workers across the province learn about the importance of saving for retirement.
Discover what we've done in the last year to make it easier for all Quebecers to save for retirement.
Our local representatives: Making savings accessible to more people
Johanne Di Cesare, Teacher
"No one should miss out on payroll deductions, no matter the amount per paycheque. It's a super simple and easy way to plan for retirement and live within your means." Johanne Di Cesare has been a local representative for 15 years. Every year, she travels to the 64 schools and centres in the Centre de services scolaires des Grandes-Seigneuries to meet with its 1,800 employees and support staff to raise awareness about the importance of saving.
"Everyone calls me "the Fonds lady." They’re always waiting for me in their workplace with lots of questions." As a former member of the support staff herself, Di Cesare had a headstart on earning people’s trust and building relationships. That and her deep desire to help them take control of their future.
"Retirement doesn't just happen. And no one else can plan it for you. Do you want to watch the train roll by, or do you want to get on board? I'd say it's better to get on board."
At the Centre de services scolaires and other workplaces she visits, Johanne wants to give people the tools they need to prepare for retirement. Because, like the Fonds, she firmly believes that everyone deserves a decent retirement.
Sylvain Pinsonneault, Construction-site electrician
"I may have been taught to put money aside when I was a kid, but I realize that I’m a rare breed."
Sylvain Pinsonneault has been a local representative for seven years, moving from one construction site to the next, chatting about savings with his "buddies," as he likes to call them. After working on construction sites for 25 years, he knows just how little financial information his former colleagues were given before him. He knows how hard it can be for workers who are constantly changing employers to continually save through payroll deductions, or to keep taking time to update their information. That's why his contribution to their savings journey is so important.
"It’s not complicated. When young workers first arrive on a construction site, I’m the first person they meet who talks to them about money." And meeting someone who speaks their workplace language, who has worked in their boots, who shows up at their job site wearing a hard hat and construction gear and who understands their day-to-day world changes everything. That's the kind of feedback Sylvain receives.
"If I can help all these people become independent by giving them the tools to make their own choices, then my work is done."
Hélène Tougas, President of Local SEPB-574
"People are surprised to hear that they don’t have to be unionized to save with the Fonds de solidarité FTQ."
Hélène Tougas has been a union activist for nearly 15 years – and has worked for Yellow Pages for the same amount of time. Today, she is a Canadian Office and Professional Employees Union local president, representing 80 bargaining units. It was her union involvement that led her to become a local representative in 2020. For the past four years, she has travelled to their offices, factories, bookstores, pubs and other workplaces to talk to members about savings.
"We see more and more people having difficulties in retirement because they haven’t been taught how to plan for this important time. My goal is for everyone to be able to retire with dignity, without having to change their everyday lives."
The trust she has earned among the members of the 80 bargaining units she serves helps her to convey the message. Besides speaking to unionized workers, she also talks to human resources staff and management because they can also save at the Fonds.
"Sharing information, educating people and being there to answer their questions is so rewarding. That's why I do it."
