About Us
The Régime de retraite des groupes communautaires et de femmes is a group defined benefit pension plan. It provides income security to contributors through a guaranteed lifetime pension. It carries no financial risk for the employer and allows them to contribute according to their means.
Our History
In 2004, a coalition of community organizations and women’s groups decided to tackle the sensitive issue of retirement plans. Two important observations clearly justified focusing on this matter:
Employees in the community sector do not have retirement plans. At best, a small number of them have a modest Registered Retirement Savings Plan (RRSP).
The absence of employee benefits, including a retirement plan, limits the sector’s ability to retain staff. This affects staff stability and an organization’s ability to continue its operations.
It took nearly four years of reflection to design and implement an initial proposal for a retirement plan adapted to the needs and numerous constraints of the community movement. The goal: to develop a tool that would provide community workers a way out of poverty and provide them with a dignified retirement without compromising the financial health of the organizations.
Since October 1, 2008, community organizations and their salaried staff have been able to benefit from a retirement plan designed specifically for them. This plan, called the Régime de retraite des groupes communautaires et de femmes, helps improve income security for workers in community organizations upon their retirement, given the modest benefits provided by public plans. It aims to prevent salaried workers in community and women’s groups from finding themselves in poverty when they retire, after dedicating their lives to improving people’s quality of life and defending their rights.
This collective project was developed, starting in 2004, thanks to the initiative of Relais-femmes and the Centre de formation populaire (CFP), and it received educational and technical support from the UQAM’s community services department.
Our Values
Social Transformation
By participating in the creation of salary-funded pension plans, community groups have helped change what is possible in terms of retirement. This type of plan allows smaller organizations to offer their workers a pension fund that was once only accessible in very large companies or the public sector. Even today, the plan continues to contribute to social reflection on retirement and to promote the improvement of public pension plans.
Collective Interest
The plan’s strength lies in the willingness of community and women’s groups to have come together and create a collective retirement savings solution for all workers in their sector. Pooling resources allows participants to share investment and longevity risks, which individual solutions for each organization could not provide.
Security and Autonomy
The plan’s pension formula is designed to ensure income security for contributors, thereby supporting greater financial autonomy in retirement. Our training activities help simplify retirement-related concepts to ensure that participants take charge of their financial future.
Ethical and Responsible
Caution has been at the heart of the plan’s structure since its inception. The committee is constantly seeking the right balance between risk and return in order to meet its primary objective: ensuring the long-term sustainability of the pension fund and the stability of contributions. Moreover, the committee ensures that it invests in products whose characteristics are well understood by members.
Caution
Caution has been at the heart of the Plan’s structure since its inception. The committee is constantly seeking the right balance between risk and return in order to meet its primary objective: ensuring the long-term sustainability of the pension fund and the stability of contributions. In addition, the committee ensures that investments are made in products whose characteristics are well understood by members.
