In May, at the <strong>Alpine</strong> <strong>Club</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Canada</strong> Board <strong>of</strong> Directors meetings, a partnership agreement between the ACC and the Fédération Québécoise de la montagne et de l’escalade (FQME) was ratifi ed, guaranteeing equal access to ACC and FQME members to the other’s facilities and insured climbing venues. Th e agreement is the result <strong>of</strong> years <strong>of</strong> dedication, persistence and leadership <strong>of</strong> many people, but most notably, section Outaouais representative, Pierre Gravel. Th is is his story. Perseverance, cooperation engender partnership agreement BY PIERRE GRAVEL <strong>The</strong> relationship between our small regional climbing club, <strong>Club</strong> Vertige, and the Fédération Québécoise de la montagne et de l’escalade (FQME) had been uneasy for some years when in 2001, we decided to join the <strong>Alpine</strong> <strong>Club</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Canada</strong> as a regional section. After preparing the paperwork the ACC asked <strong>of</strong> us, the <strong>Club</strong>’s executive had given us a positive response and all that remained was to present our proposal to the ACC Board <strong>of</strong> Directors at the spring meeting in Vancouver. Th e morning <strong>of</strong> the meeting, I went for a run along the Pacifi c shore just down from the University <strong>of</strong> British Columbia and came back in time to meet the Board members in one <strong>of</strong> the University’s buildings. Everyone was great, they showed me a chair and announced that I was now the national delegate for the new Outaouais section <strong>of</strong> the ACC. “Home base, game over,” I assumed. I thought all was done. During a c<strong>of</strong>f ee break I was introduced to ACC Past President Mike Mortimer. We chatted, then he came to the subject <strong>of</strong> the last thing I was expecting. At the time Mortimer was the North American representative for the International Mountaineering and Climbing Federation (UIAA). He had been receiving letters from people in Québec complaining about a power war between FQME and another organisation, École nationale d’escalade du Québec (ENEQ). He had also received letters complaining about FQME’s management <strong>of</strong> cliff s on private land, and about FQME’s management <strong>of</strong> cliff s on public and park land. Basically, the Québec scene was chaos. Mortimer asked, “Do you understand any <strong>of</strong> this?” Trying to be a good politician and escape the conversation, I answered, “I’m as puzzled as you are.” A quick man, he replied, “Could you 10 <strong>Alpine</strong> <strong>Club</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Canada</strong> ● Gazette ● SUMMER <strong>2007</strong> try to help me fi gure it out, you living out there in the east and all.” In utter stupidity, and to prove I’m a lousy politician, I answered, “OK.” Not long afterward, section Outaouais board members shared interesting news – FQME was facing a coroner’s inquest following climbing related deaths in Québec, and FQME had decided that ACC members living in Québec could no longer climb on sites located on private land unless they paid extra fees. Th e second item, we had to act upon. Th e fi rst one crept up on us. Th e following years proved interesting. First we looked for leadership training for rock and ice climbing, and decided we would only look for UIAA approved leadership programs so our members would receive the highest standard <strong>of</strong> training. We looked at FQME, who used to have a program, and found it was no longer functional. We then looked at ENEQ, who was developing and operating a program based on UIAA standards for volunteer leaders and found it was outstanding. Problem was, since ENEQ was not a UIAA member, its programs could not be submitted to UIAA for approval. Since the local UIAA organisation (FQME) was at war with ENEQ, progress stalled. Judging that the program was good and necessary, we suggested ENEQ be received as a UIAA member so its program could be approved. We have used ENEQ ever since as a source for expertise, and have been satisfi ed. But FQME didn’t like that. Th en, the very guy who had complained so much to Mortimer about FQME in the fi rst place was now its president. It seemed he felt the ACC and I were the problems, interested in swallowing his organisation. Fortunately, section Outaouais representatives were invited to the coroner’s inquest to act as experts, giving us the chance to meet with most <strong>of</strong> Québec’s major players in climbing – an opportunity to set things straight. Th at’s when I fi rst met with Steve Castonguay and with Alain Couture – who I already knew. Th ey were making a lot <strong>of</strong> eff ort to try to rebuild the FQME and its image, and had produced a brilliant master plan. We discovered it was way easier to understand each other face to face, and decided to create an agreement to collaborate in the future. It took four years. I can’t count the visits we paid each other or the number <strong>of</strong> phone calls we exchanged. Th e section Outaouais acted on FQME’s site commission, they <strong>of</strong>f ered us ‘leave no trace’ training and helped us with an access problem to Gatineau Park. <strong>Alpine</strong> <strong>Club</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Canada</strong> members Isabelle Daigneault, Deborah Skelton, Murray Levine, Denis Villeneuve and I met with FQME and presented documents explaining what we do and what our mission is. Th ey did the same for us. I climbed with Couture in Gaspésie and, with Stephane Lapierre who wrote the book on Québec ice climbing – we opened a route we called Th e Th ree Musketeers in honour <strong>of</strong> our friendship, a scene <strong>of</strong> everlasting arguing. We created a draft partnership document and worked through revised version after revised version. But it’s done. Canadian climbers can climb from coast to coast. Whether you are from Québec or Newfoundland, from Yukon or Ontario, just present your ACC or FQME membership card at any FQME insured climbing sites and you climb as equals. Just show your FQME or ACC card at any ACC facility and you will be treated as equals. We are all members <strong>of</strong> the UIAA member organization. We are all Canadian climbers. We should climb together and enjoy the day without any other worries. Th at’s what I wanted in the fi rst place. Th at’s just what I’m going to do now. Good work Steve. Good work Isabelle, Deborah and Murray. Good work Denis. Now we can build. Pierre Gravel is the ACC section Outaouais National representative.
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