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.
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. In 2022, the parents’ committee of the Central Québec school board also joined the Regroupement.
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 consensus-building, that we will foster 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
Marc Patrick Roy,
search and social media
Steve Trachy,
accounting
Working group
and permanent consultation
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
Steve Trachy (Beauce-Etchemin)
Debbie Cornforth (Central Québec)
Maria Lira Bellorin (Chemin-du-Roy)
Valérie Lussier (Des chênes)
Ashley Brus (Eastern Township)
Patrick Dulong-Boudreau (Laval)
Kileka Coulibaly (Montreal)
Board of Directors
Chairmanship
Maria Lira Bellorin
Vice-Chairman
Patrick Dulong-Boudreau
Treasury
Ashley Brus
Directors
Marie-Soleil Belhumeur
Violaine Campo
Debbie Cornforth
Kileka Coulibaly
Sylvain Dauphinais
Michelle Kaiser
Sophianne Lalancette
Valérie Lussier
Manon Ricard
Jean-Christophe Rodrigue
Steve Trachy