Delegates

Roles and privileges of delegates

Delegates make democratic decisions on behalf of participant members. By getting involved, delegates contribute to SSQ's distinctive mutualist spirit.

Who can become a delegate?

Members of SSQ Mutual may be designated as delegates. To be a member of SSQ Mutual, a person must, directly or indirectly, have an insurance or annuity contract with SSQ, Life Insurance Company Inc. or SSQ Insurance Company Inc.

The delegate is therefore a member of SSQ Mutual designated by a group or, if not part of a group, selected by random draw from among the members who have manifested an interest in becoming a delegate.

What is the delegate's role?

Delegates Play a Key Role!
The delegate’s role is very important. At the Annual Meeting, delegates receive the Board of Directors Report, financial statements and information regarding the company’s operations. They also get to cast a vote in the election of the members of the Board of Directors as well as in all other matters brought before the assembly.

Designation of delegates

In view of forming a general assembly that is representative of the diversity of the members of SSQ, Mutual Management, delegates are designated by their group. For members who are not part of a group, like those who have a life insurance policy, the choice of delegates is determined by random draw from among the members who expressed their interest before April 1 of the previous year and filled out the online form:

Registration form for individual members

Members chosen by random draw have a three-year mandate, while all other delegates have a one-year mandate.

Groups

A group corresponds to:

  • A policyholder who takes out a group insurance plan or annuity contract with SSQ, Life Insurance Company Inc. or its subsidiary SSQ Insurance Company Inc.; or
  • any organization (union, association, employer, etc.) that has entered into an administrative agreement other than a distribution agreement with SSQ, Life Insurance Company Inc. or SSQ Insurance Company Inc., under which eligible persons defined by the organization may enjoy individual privileges and benefits on insurance products offered by SSQ, Life Insurance Company Inc. or SSQ Insurance Company Inc. Only eligible individuals who have purchased an insurance product are considered members.
Groups of 700 members or more

Groups with 700 members or more are entitled to designate at least one delegate.

The number of delegates a group may designate is established using a scale based on the total number of members in the group.

Policyholders and organizations with group contracts determine who among the members of their groups will be the delegates.

A delegate designation form is sent to the policyholder of each group before October 31 of each year.

The list of delegates designated by each group and their contact information must be sent using the designation form, by December 31 at the latest.

A delegate who is no longer a member, has changed member category or is no longer a member of the group who designated him or her at the Annual Meeting is no longer eligible and can no longer continue in the capacity of a delegate.

Groups of less than 700 members

Groups with less than 700 members are divided into three separate categories:

  • Groups of 2 to 99 members
  • Groups of 100 to 299 members
  • Groups of 300 to 699 members

The number of delegates to be designated for each category is based on the scale provided for this purpose.

Based on the number of delegates to designate, a random draw is made for each category by no later than September 30 of each year to determine which groups may designate a delegate.

For the purposes of this draw, each group has a certain number of "entries" corresponding to the total number of members.

Policyholders and organizations with group contracts determine who the delegates will be from among the members of their group.

A delegate designation form is sent to groups drawn at random in the days following the draw. The group must complete a registration form and send in its delegate’s contact information.

Afterwards, the name and contact information of the designated delegate from each group must be sent no later than 30 days after the designation form is sent. A group that has not responded by the deadline is deemed to have decided not to designate a delegate. In such a case, SSQ will identify, from among the groups drawn at random in the same category as the group that did not designate a delegate, a new group that will be invited to designate a delegate.

The new group has 30 days following the date the designation form was sent to send in the contact information of its delegate or waive their right. The procedure is repeated each month until all the delegates in the category have been designated.

All delegate positions that have not been filled by the January 31 prior to the Annual Meeting will remain vacant until the next draw.

A group cannot designate more than one delegate.

A delegate who is no longer a delegate, has changed category or is no longer a member of the group who designated him or her at the Annual Meeting is no longer eligible and can no longer continue in the capacity of a delegate.

Members who are not part of a group

A member who is not part of a group and who wishes to be a delegate must fill out the online form before April 1 of the year preceding the year of the Annual Meeting:

Form for individual member designation

A random draw is made no later than September 30 of each year from among those who have shown an interest.

Members who are drawn at random are notified of the invitation to become a delegate at the subsequent Annual Meeting. They must then confirm their intention by filling out the designated form no later than 30 days thereafter. 

When a member signifies their intention not to be a delegate or does not apply in time, SSQ asks another member from among the members drawn at random to be a delegate. That person has 30 days to confirm their designation.

The procedure is repeated each month until all the delegates in the individual member category have been designated. All delegate positions that have not been filled by the January 31 prior to the Annual Meeting will remain vacant until the next draw.

Persons who are insured with SSQ, Life Insurance Company Inc. are considered to be qualified for the Annual Meeting provided they are still insured on the date of the meeting. A delegate who is no longer a member when the Annual Meeting is held is no longer eligible and cannot act in the capacity of delegate.

The number of delegates to designate for the members who are not part of a group is based on the total number of members and is based on the scale provided.

Group made up of SSQ employees and retiree members

Members who are employees or retirees of SSQ, Life Insurance Company Inc. and SSQ Insurance Company Inc. constitute a group entitled to four delegates based on the following sub-categories:

  • two delegate positions from unionized employees and retirees
  • two delegate positions from non-unionized employees and retirees