The Regroupement
Presentation, team and official documents
Our roots
In early March 2020, the Parents’ Committees of the Laval and Montreal school service centers chose to take back their right to speak. They left the federation that represented them, noting the irreconcilable differences of opinion on a number of major issues that had built up over the years, as well as their members’ desire to play a more active role in the collective direction of education.
The decision was well-considered and taken by well-informed members who kept open the possibility of collaborating when the opportunity arose. This opportunity took just ten days to manifest itself, when the declaration of a health emergency linked to the COVID-19 pandemic closed the schools.
The two parents’ committees have joined forces to make their needs heard by decision-makers.
In the summer of 2020, everything was formalized and a new association of parents’ committees was legally constituted under the name “Regroupement des comités de parents autonomes du Québec”, the RCPAQ. The Minister of Education quickly recognized the RCPAQ and integrated it into the education “partners”.
In fall 2020, the parents’ committees of the Beauce-Etchemin and des Chênes school services center joined the RCPAQ, and in early 2021, the parents’ committee of the Eastern Townships school board joined the group, followed by that of Chemin-du-Roy school services center. En 2022, le comité de parents de la commission scolaire Central Québec s’est également joint au Regroupement et celui du CSS des Sommets en 2025.
RCPAQ is the voice of more than 1,500 French and English speaking parents involved in the public school system in their region, representing the families of some 200,000 students, or 20% of all Quebec students spread over half of the province’s territory.
OUR SUPPORT :
A COMMITMENT TO RIGOR AND QUALITY OF SERVICE
RCPAQ offers support and information services to parents involved in education, answering any questions they may have, directing them to relevant resources and providing valid, verified information that is public and accessible to all.
The Regroupement also offers a rigorous, personalized support service for which the identity of parents and their children, as well as the exchanges they have with RCPAQ staff, remain confidential, guaranteeing the confidence parents can have in their Regroupement.
Visual identity
Our logo highlights the unity of our parents’ committees through the intertwining chainlinks that blend their own colors, as well as the particularities of each of our members through the chainlinks that remain distinct and oriented in their own way. The whole suggests the parents’ commitment, through the heart formed by the chainlinks.
Our colors show a resolute commitment to :
- Blue for the serenity, well-being and safety of our children;
- Green for success, respect for our surroundings and the environment!
For and by parents, for the well-being and success of all children
We are parents, we work for parents to optimize and improve the Quebec school system. We don’t limit our support to parents from the parents’ committees we represent, but help all parents who contact us.
We sincerely believe that it is collectively, through collaboration and the search for consensus, that we will promote progress.
Team and Structure
To ensure that our decisions and orientations reflect the realities and issues of our Parents’ Committees, and that our organization remains responsive and flexible, we have established a structure that enables parents to contribute to our ongoing reflections and positions, on behalf of the parents they represent.
RCPAQ Team
Marie Pier Bessette,
organizational development consultant
mpbessette@rcpaq.org
Sylvain Martel,
strategic advisor and spokesperson
smartel@rcpaq.org
François Paquet,
parental involvement advisor
fpaquet@rcpaq.org
Valérie Plante
social media manager
media@rcpaq.org
Think tank
and ongoing consultations
This group of committed parents maintains constant collaboration via an instant digital communication platform, ensuring daily monitoring of the education field and enabling the RCPAQ to react and take a public stance on current events.
Our ambassadors
Ashley Brus (Eastern Township)
Mélanie Boutin (Beauce-Etchemin)
Kileka Coulibaly (Montreal)
Mylène Duval-Charlebois (Chemin-du-Roy)
Patrick Dulong-Boudreau (Laval)
Jason Kilganan (Central Québec)
Valérie Lussier (Des chênes)
Geneviève Simon (Des Sommets)
Board of Directors
The board of directors is composed of two representatives from each of the member parent committees.
Chairmanship
Ashley Brus
Vice-Chairman
Patrick Dulong-Boudreau
Treasury
Ashley Brus
Administrators
Leah Alkenbrock
Isabelle Bouchard
Mélanie Boutin
Andrew Buchan
Josée Chaput
Kileka Coulibaly
Mylène Duval-Charlebois
Guillaume Faucher
Isabelle Gélinas
Jason Kilganan
Valérie Lussier
Geneviève Simon