Family Minister Yolande James comes to Laval

Quebec Family Minister Yolande James, accompanied by Mille-Îles Liberal MNA Francine Charbonneau, paid a visit to the offices of Tremblay L’Écuyer Architectes in Laval on Aug. 9, where she met workers and managers to discuss the issue of reconciling work and family.

Quebec, according to the Liberal government, has one of the world’s most generous family-support policies, even though the family-work reconciliation question remains largely unresolved.

Situation improving
Quebec’s social fabric has changed drastically over the past few decades: there is a record number of women in the workplace, they are better educated and have more children than was generally the case in 2000. Also, the government has found that a growing number of men are paying more attention to their families. In this context, it is preparing to deal with the matter again.
“It is important for me to get out on the terrain, in businesses, in order to take the pulse of workers who have to juggle all their responsibilities on a daily basis,” said the minister. “What can be done differently to support families on a daily basis? We must listen to them, to get a better grasp of their reality and what they think. This tour is allowing me to aim for certain actions that will help us to pursue our work with families.”
“I am proud to receive my colleague in Laval, and especially at a business that provides services and often deals with the family-work conciliation issue,” said Charbonneau, who is James’s parliamentary secretary. “Tremblay L’Écuyer Architectes is a business that is much appreciated in the region and one of the best employers for families.”

Visits Tremblay L’Écuyer
“Tremblay L’Écuyer Architectes is a business that offers integrated architecture consulting services, interior design, urban design and digital imaging,” said Benoît Lalonde, a spokesman for Tremblay L’Écuyer Architectes. “It is able to rely on a multidisciplinary team of professionals made up of architects, designers, technicians, draftspersons and engineers, who are all dedicated and devoted.
“We recognize the challenges posed by family-work reconciliation,” Lalonde continued. “That is why we allow our employees to have flexible schedules and we have implemented a special computer system thanks to which they can remotely access their major work tools. This gives some of our employees the possibility of being able to work at home. We are pleased to have had the chance to welcome Minister James to discuss these issues and their impact on society.”

Challenges ahead
According to the government, the challenges faced in several sectors of the province’s economy are very real: a lack of qualified workers, and difficulties in recruiting and retaining workers, especially young ones. In this context, aiming for family-work conciliation, as Tremblay L’Écuyer Architectes are apparently doing, can be a winning strategy for employers, the government maintains.
“Family-work conciliation can give a competitive edge to businesses, but ultimately family-work conciliation is everyone’s business, not only the government’s or that of business,” said James. “I am happy to have exchanged views with a group of dynamic employees, who spoke of the challenges they face,” she added.