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At its Tuesday meeting, the Marois Government’s Conseil des ministres appointed CUPE’s Lise Simard to the Commission de l’équité salariale (Pay Equity Commission). On February 4, Simard will become one of two commissioners who, together with the president, comprise the decision-making body that rules on complaints to the Commission.

“Although it represents a great loss to CUPE, we are extremely proud of this appointment. CUPE has been a real leader in implementing pay equity, thanks to the work of union advisers like Lise Simard. This long-time militant has devoted much of her career to correcting injustices to women in the workplace,” said Lucie Levasseur, president of CUPE Quebec.

“Of course I feel a twinge of regret at leaving the CUPE family, but I am also confident that CUPE will continue its good work on equity. Unfortunately, there is still much to be done to address the systemic discrimination against women. I’ll still be working on this, but in a new role,” said Simard.

A career devoted to equity

Lise Simard has been fighting wage discrimination since 1990 when she campaigned for the Pay Equity Coalition. The Coalition lobbied for a pay equity act, which it managed to obtain in 1996. After a stint as an analyst and investigator in policy development at the Commission de l’équité salariale, Lise Simard became a CUPE union representative in 2001 and coordinator of the Pay Equity Evaluation Service in 2006.

“The Commission has snagged a highly qualified person for this position. And that’s good news for all the women who have to fight for genuine equality,” concluded Denis Plante, director of CUPE Quebec.