In the latest issue of Sage magazine, members will find a letter from our national president, Jean-Guy Soulière.
In accordance with our bylaws, a member of the board cannot have more than two consecutive terms of three years. So, at the conclusion of the 2022 annual meeting of members (AMM), which hopefully will be in person in June 2022, I will have completed my six years as president.
Usually, when one “retires,” the tendency is to look at one’s past and accomplishments. What I have decided to do, however, is to look to the future and what the Association could be. This is consistent with my objective when I first chose to stand and was elected as president. This article, and the two remaining ones (Spring and Summer 2022) will “crystal-ball gaze” into the future. I (we) cannot change what has happened in the past, but we can certainly influence what will happen in the future.
The Association has a very solid foundation and a clear mission: the protection and enhancement of our benefits as retirees. We should never change these two elements because they are the sources of the success of the Association. Looking forward, we have to continue building on our strong foundation and, whatever advocacy issues in which we get involved, and there are many, they must be consistent with, and never move away from, our core mission. The danger of getting involved with issues that are not consistent with our mission is that we create an expectation that the Association will try to be everything to everyone and, in my view, that would lead to weakening or changing our foundation.
In 2019, I wrote a document, Moving Forward, which was reviewed and studied by delegates at that year’s AMM and led to the development of our five-year strategic plan, which was approved unanimously at the AMM. This was followed by another document, NAFR 2030, which basically went into more details. Our strategic plan deals with the present and the future. To refresh your memory, the strategic plan has three overall goals:
- to advocate in the best interest of our members to be recognized as a respected national voice supporting secure, healthy and dignified retirement for federal retirees and all Canadians;
- to promote membership retention and growth;
- to pursue organizational excellence at all levels of the Association.
Based on this strategic plan, we developed a yearly operational plan that describes specific directions to reach each goal. It is also a “living document,” which means that it is flexible and able to effectively deal with emerging and unforeseen issues. An excellent example of this is how well the Association adapted to the pandemic and continues, in a seamless and effective fashion, to provide services and advocate for our priorities.
I look forward to discussing with you, in my next article, what Federal Retirees could be in 2030. Enjoy the winter season and hopefully we will all be able to celebrate the holidays with family and friends. Stay safe, stay healthy and continue to be an active member.