Partner
François Parent has been practising in the area of pension and benefits law since 2001. His practice focuses on the various legal issues arising in this area, such as pension plan administration and governance, statutory compliance, pension plan termination, issues relating to surplus assets and their use, pension plan splits and mergers, multi-jurisdictional pensions plan issues and changes to employee benefits (including to post-retirement benefits).

He represents clients before the courts in litigious matters in this field and works in conjunction with members of the firm’s Business Law Group on all pension and benefits issues in mergers and acquisitions. In addition, he has extensive experience in drawing up and implementing retirement compensation arrangements.

Mr. Parent is currently an executive member of the Canadian Bar Association National Pension and Benefits Law Section. He has published many articles in his field, and is frequently sought as speaker. His most recent articles and presentations have dealt with the following topics:

Articles and presentations

• Démystifier certaines questions concernant le traitement des régimes de retraite dans une faillite et une restructuration (Demystifying certain pension plan issues in bankruptcy and insolvency contexts), Conference organized by the Bankruptcy and Insolvency Section (Quebec) of the Canadian Bar Association, March 29, 2012.
• Illustration pratique : jurisprudence (Case Law Review), Advanced Training Sessions, Canadian Pension and Benefits Institute, March 20, 2012 and March 30, 2011.
• Démystifier certains aspects légaux relatifs aux régimes de retraite (Demystifying certain pension plan legal issues), Pension Plan Seminar, December 8, 2011.
• Régimes supplémentaires de retraite : éléments à considérer (Supplementary pension plans: elements to consider), Seminar entitled « Risk management : Employment contracts, compensation and pension plans of non-unionized employees», September 27, 2011.
• Update on plan administration, CBA National Pensions and Benefits Law Section Newsletter, June 2011.
• What’s new in Quebec, Conference entitled: “9^th Annual Pension and Benefits Hot Spots: Essential Updates on Key Legal Issues”, Ontario Bar Association, May 2011.
• Class action update: Recent pension and benefits class proceedings (in association with Mr. Mark Firman), CBA National Pensions and Benefits Law Section Newsletter, December 2010.
• Synertech Moulded Products, a division of Old Castle Building v. Régie des Rentes du Québec, CBA National Pensions and Benefits Law Section Newsletter, December 2010.
• Quebec Legislative Update Designed to Ease the Financial Crisis, Pension Planning, May 2010.
• Payments Over the Actual Funding Ratio of the Plan : the Régie Reacts, Pension Planning, May 2010.
• Les régimes interjuridictionnels (Multi-jurisdictional Pension Plans), Conference entitled “Développement des compétences essentielles pour les comités de retraite”, Federated Press, May 11, 2010.
• Régimes de retraite et avantages sociaux : un sujet d’actualité (Pension and Employee Benefits Plans : Recent Developments), Pension Seminar, March 31, 2010.
• Liquidation des régimes partiellement capitalizes (Wind-up of unfunded pension plans), Conference entitled “ Régimes de retraite : droit et contestation”, Federated Press, September 10, 2009.
• Les régimes de retraite dans un contexte d’insolvabilité ou de faillite (Pension plans in a bankruptcy or insolvency context), Conference entitled “Insolvabilité et restructuration commerciale”, Insight Information Co., April 20, 2009.
• Les régimes de retraite et avantages sociaux dans un contexte transactionnel (Pension and benefits aspects involved in corporate transactions), Conference entitled “Camp d’entraînement sur les conventions d’affaires”, Canadian Institute, January 29, 2009.
• IPEBLA Comparative Survey Project (Review of the current situation in Canadian pension law), IPEBLA Journal, September 2008.
• Quebec Legal Update (Quebec – recent changes in pension law), 2008 Pensions Summit: Securing the Future, Conference Board of Canada, April 28, 2008.