As Gisèle Tassé-Goodman learned more about Federal Retirees, she became increasingly passionate about applying her governance leadership to advance the organization’s advocacy agenda. She is now doing just that as Federal Retirees’ national board chair. Tassé-Goodman was photographed at Zibi, a multi-phased, mixed-use sustainable redevelopment located on the Ottawa River. Photo: Ashley Fraser.
Before becoming national board chair of Federal Retirees, Gisèle Tassé-Goodman spent six years as the chair of the board of Canada’s largest seniors association — Réseau FADOQ — with more than 603,000 members across the province of Quebec.
Over the course of her time at FADOQ, she interacted regularly with members from the National Association of Federal Retirees. As she learned more about Federal Retirees, she became increasingly passionate about applying her governance leadership to advance the organization’s advocacy agenda. She sees membership growth as a key means of strengthening advocacy. Drawing on her experience at FADOQ, where membership grew from 525,000 to 603,000 over six years, she is confident that NAFR is well positioned to achieve success in expanding its membership. “The more united we are, the more impact we have with the people who shape decisions,” TasséGoodman says.
A long career in public service
Over her 33-year career with the federal government, Tassé-Goodman worked on Parliament Hill for years, including serving nine different ministers. She worked at Industry Canada, the former departments of Human Resources and Skills Development, Social Services, and Employment and Immigration as well as the Canadian Intellectual Property Office and the Public Service Commission.
She has also served on numerous other boards of directors, where she has amassed a significant amount of governance experience and understanding of how organizations need to evolve and adapt for the future. Speaking about the governance effectiveness and structural review the association is currently undergoing, she said it’s an important step that won’t happen overnight.
“It takes time, patience, collaboration and open-mindedness,” Tassé-Goodman says. “In March, we will be in full consultation, and I’m confident that we will come out of this with a stronger association in the end.”
When she was board chair at FADOQ, she attended the global conference of the International Federation on Aging (IFA) and participated in the United Nations Open-Ended Working Group on Ageing (OEWGA) as part of a multi-pronged effort to secure a UN Convention and reinforce the protection of the Rights of Older Persons. She is excited that Federal Retirees is part of the global alliance to protect older persons’ rights and is committed to continuing to use her expertise to help achieve that goal.
“For me, helping people who struggle to make ends meet is extremely important,” she says, adding that not everyone has meaningful or secure retirement income security like most Federal Retirees members. Recent Treasury Board numbers show that the median level pension of women who have retired from the federal public service is $28,000 while for men, it’s $34,000.
“There are lots of people who have maybe 10 years or less of service rather than 30-plus years,” she says. “It’s important to me on a personal level that I do my part to help those less fortunate. As an association I believe we should advocate for all seniors to have strong retirement income security.”
The importance of advocacy has always been central to her. She went to battle in the Quebec National Assembly as well as the House of Commons to secure better home care for older adults and she has taken part in numerous commissions and pre-budget submissions federally and provincially. “Many older adults want to remain in their homes and I’m one of them,” she says. “Strengthening the rights of seniors on that file is extremely important to me. Another is improving digital literacy among older adults, at which she says they made gains at FADOQ. She also fought for improvements in long-term care as well as advocating for the shingles vaccine. “I believe that when we work together, we can accomplish a lot more,” she says.
Early learning about responsibility
Tassé-Goodman’s mother, who is now a vibrant 92 years of age, was a teacher and school principal and her father was an entrepreneur who managed a flooring business and owned a commercial storefront. “I grew up in a happy family,” she says. “I had three sisters and five brothers. My dad played guitar, I played violin, and there were harmonicas. There was always a lot of music. Sharing at the table as a family was always important to us.” She says all of the children had responsibilities at home and they were taught to be role models for the others. Tassé-Goodman and her husband, Earl, continued those teachings when they went on to have four sons, the eldest of whom died when he was just seven.
“When I see the sadness in the eyes of someone when they’ve lost someone close, I understand,” she says. “It’s as though a piece of you is gone, but somehow you have to keep going.”
At 70, Tassé-Goodman is an avid pickleballer and she also walks and cycles to keep in shape so she can live as long as her mother. She and her husband have seven grandchildren, and a puppy the couple — both Beatles fans — named Yoko.
Why volunteer?
“When I retired in 2012, I told my father that I wanted to be present for him and my mother — to take care of them,” Tassé-Goodman says. “And he passed away later in 2012. I said ‘I need to re-orient myself.’ I volunteered with youth for many years when my kids were young so I thought I could do the same thing for seniors.”
In her quest to figure out where to volunteer, she recalls one particular moment when she witnessed a woman at the cash at a grocery store near her Gatineau home. The woman was $12 short and had to remove some things from her basket. This was a radicalizing moment for her. She’s heard stories of people splitting their pills in half because they can’t afford to take a full dose. “For me, this became the challenge I wanted to help address,” she says.
“Can you imagine that level of struggle? I realized that with a good pension, I’m in a position to help my community. I’ve always been active and committed; now I channel that commitment into serving seniors. Since making that choice, I have felt nothing but certainty. I love to do this volunteer work, and I get to meet great people. The look in people’s eyes when you’ve helped make their lives a little better, that’s what makes me happy and drives me to volunteer.”
She sees it as paving the way for the next generation. “When I see a need, I take action. We’re here for a short time and it goes by fast.”
As national board chair of Federal Retirees, Tassé-Goodman is deeply optimistic about the organization’s current strength and its future. That optimism is grounded in the governance review now reinforcing accountability, leadership and long-term sustainability — and in her commitment to applying her experience and dedication in service of a more resilient, credible and impactful organization for years to come.
“With dedicated people, a board with the experience, skills and judgment to lead thoughtfully and collaboratively, and an important mission that inspires our work, together, we are building a strong and sustainable future.”