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Rendez-vous de la solidarité 2009

A society engaged in action

In order to take into account the experience and knowledge of as many people as possible in drafting the 2010-2015 Government Action Plan for Solidarity and Social Inclusion, consultations, collectively called Rendez vous de la solidarité, were organized. In all, nearly 2,500 citizens and groups from all sectors of society had the opportunity to exchange viewpoints and express themselves (see Table 3).

• At the Rendez-vous national de la solidarité, held in June 2009, Québec-wide organizations from the full spectrum of social sectors—unions, community groups, volunteers, charitable organizations, management, representatives of individuals in situations of poverty—voiced their opinion on various themes (employment, income, education, living conditions, social inclusion, citizen participation and territory-based action). At the regional Rendez-vous de la solidarité, an array of people and organizations gathered in each of the regions of Québec in the autumn of 2009, where they discussed the features specific to life in their region, and the tools that would empower them to act more effectively to achieve significant results in improving social inclusion and territory-based action.
• In order to reach individuals currently in situations of poverty or who had been in the past, focus groups were conducted in five regions reflecting Québec’s diversity. Last-resort financial assistance recipients and persons in or who had been in situations of poverty were part of this consultation designed to enable the circumstances and opinions of persons directly concerned by poverty to be taken into account.
• The government held discussion meetings with organizations representing several segments of the Aboriginal population: the First Nations, Inuit people, Aboriginal people living in urban communities, and Aboriginal women. This exchange made it possible to identify specific problems and to provide food for thought about possible courses of action.
• In order to open discussion to all Québeckers, an online citizen consultation, in which more than 1,500 individuals participated, took place in the summer of 2009. A number of briefs or other documents were submitted throughout the consultation period. This highly valuable content was taken into consideration in drafting the second action plan.

Table 3: Rendez-vous de la solidarité: Consultation process

Activities carried out	Participation
On-line consultation
Held from June 8 to July 10, 2009, this consultation made it possible to take the pulse of citizens from different walks of life.	1 552 citizens
Focus groups
In June 2009, 10 focus groups were conducted in five cities, namely Montréal, Drummondville, Saguenay, Québec and Gaspé.	87 people (10 groups)
Rendez-vous de la solidarité, Québec-wide component
On June 15, 2009, representatives of Québec-wide organizations came together to share their observations and determine action priorities.	155 people representing Québec-wide organizations
Rendez-vous de la solidarité, regional component
Throughout the autumn of 2009, Rendez-vous de la solidarité were held in each of the regions of Québec.	563 people representing regional organizations
Discussion with Aboriginal groups
Throughout the autumn, meeting were held with representatives from various organizations.	18 people representing Aboriginal organizations