To signal the urgency of putting an end to the underfunding of the community sector, more than 1,400 autonomous community action organizations will unite their voices and take part in a rotating wave of actions, strikes, and closures in the 17 regions of Quebec, from February 21st to 24th. This is a strike on a scale never seen in the community.
As part of the Commit yourself to the community campaign, demonstrations will take place in certain public places as well as in front of the offices of elected government officials before culminating in a closing rally in front of the National Assembly on February 24th. Many organizations will also be taking to social media with a series of awareness videos.
This mobilization comes as the community sector denounces the government's inability to honor its promise to improve the funding of community organizations in the province.
It should be noted that for several years, the RQ-ACA has been calling for additional recurring and indexed investments of $460 million to adequately fund the fulfillment of the organizations' missions.
Each day that passes without additional funding only worsens the state of a community that is struggling with closures and service breakdowns in several areas.
A foundation of society fundamentally needs help
The health crisis has demonstrated the front-line role that the community plays in meeting the needs of the population. After two trying years of adapting and tenaciously getting through the pandemic, exhaustion, underfunding, and staff shortages are weakening the work teams and making the future of these essential organizations uncertain which, between others, feed the homeless, shelter abused women and children, and defend the rights of people living with a mental health problem.
Concrete solutions on the table
For the past three years, the RQ-ACA has been working, in close collaboration with government teams, on concrete and lasting solutions to better support community organizations.
Currently, the government has all the tools it needs to make this budget a historic turning point for society.
SOURCE: Engagez Vous ACA
