During its faculty meeting to be held on Wednesday, December 9, the Université de Montréal Faculty of Medicine will also be staging a gala to pay tribute to its most deserving students and staff.
The problem is that the gala will be attended by 25 persons, which clearly contravenes the rules imposed by Quebec public health authorities at a time when the provincial government has just prohibited Quebeckers from getting together to celebrate the Christmas season.
When called out by the Syndicat des employé-e-s de l’Université de Montréal, CUPE Local 1244 (SEUM-1244), the institution defended its decision to hold the event in person, pointing out that its in-house COVID-19 coordination committee “had given its approval” to hold the gala.
“The Université de Montréal seems to be cavalierly overriding government authorities by making light of the efforts made to halt the pandemic that has hit Quebec quite hard,” said CUPE union representative Alexis Coté.
Representatives from the university also added that the activity is a gala, not a “gathering,” that those in attendance at the amphithéâtre Ernest-Cormier in the pavillon Roger-Gaudry are not “members of the public”, and that they would be there to provide “some atmosphere” at the ceremony.
SEUM-1244 has vigorously denounced the employer’s lack of consideration for rules imposed by Quebec health authorities, especially since the Montreal region, which is in a red zone, set a record for COVID-19 infections last Friday. The city is experiencing an upward trend in the number of coronavirus cases.