Yes, it happened, Association of Private Companies of Quebec Caregivers President Patrice Lapointe responded to a question from Deputy Quebec Soldier Vincent Marissal.
We recognize that there may have been abuse, Mr Lapointe said during an exchange with Liberal MP André Fortin.
In a previous speech, Minister Christian Dubé gave some examples of pricing, which his ministry had identified with the brokerage company run by the association’s president.
If I hire a nurse assistant, they pay $24 to $32 an hour online […] They currently charge $80.95 per hour in Abitibi with a gross margin of 170%, the minister said.
On your website you have jobs for $70 an hour, he added.
Mr. Lapointe argued that we must take into account per diems and absenteeism, and he recalled a number of times that he was not present to defend his business.
My company has nothing to hide, he said. Patrice Lapointe said he was open to presenting financial details to elected officials in a confidential manner, which was confirmed by the chairman of the parliamentary committee.
Bill 10 aims to restrict the use of the services of a recruitment agency and independent workers in the health and social services sector.
According to the minister’s plan, Quebec wants to eliminate the use of private agencies by 2026.
The use of independent labor has cost the public network $3 billion in six years, Radio-Canada revealed a month ago, according to an analysis by the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), an affiliate of the FTQ.
Equivalent rates, according to the association
During his interrogation, the association president mentioned that the hourly billing of the agencies hardly exceeded the total remuneration in the public network. 30 cents an hour on average when you factor in the cost of benefits, retirement funds, bonuses, or $57.91 [l’heure] compared to average cost of $58.21 [l’heure]argued Patrice Lapointe.
The latter also argued that if we reduced the use of private employment agencies, most workers would not return to the public network.
Mr. Lapointe reiterated that the pandemic has increased our relevance and that the future lies in sustainable collaboration, not a scorched earth approach.
Minister Dubé reminded him that his association had taken legal action against the government.
For me you come today to defend the untenable, the minister mentioned twice.
Honestly, I think you had a little hen with golden eggs that made a coconut a week and you wanted three dozen a day, we call that greed, exclaimed Rep. Vincent Marissal.