Six lawyers at Quebec Ombudsman's Office strike over pay parity with public sector

Six lawyers, all women, walked out of the Quebec Ombudsman's Office on Tuesday morning in an indefinite strike over pay equity. The union, Les Avocats et notaires de l'État québécois (LANEQ), represents the lawyers in Montreal and Quebec City offices.

The core dispute centres on independence. LANEQ argues the Quebec government is preventing the Ombudsman's Office from offering salaries equal to what the province itself pays public service attorneys. "The situation is troubling," LANEQ president Alexis Milette said. "The Ombudsman's Office is tasked with protecting the rights of citizens in the face of actions by the Quebec government. To fulfill this role effectively, it must be independent from the government. Yet the government controls the Ombudsman's negotiations with its lawyers. Worse still, it is forcing the Ombudsman to negotiate with its lawyers for pay that is lower than what the government itself grants to public service lawyers and notaries."

The Ombudsman's Office counters that it operates independently on all matters of mission, investigations and public intervention. However, it says it remains "administratively subject to certain guidelines applicable to public agencies" regarding public funds management and working conditions. The office says it is "committed to maintaining services for the public" and hopes to "minimize the impact on citizens." Negotiations continue.

The Ombudsman's Office handles complaints regarding Quebec's health and social services system, provincial government ministries and agencies. The specific salary differential between the office's lawyers and public service attorneys has not been disclosed.