Staff turnover problems at the office of the syndic of the Chambre de l’assurance are far from over. The organization is looking for a new syndic. In addition, two other lawyers, one of whom served as an assistant syndic, have left their positions in recent weeks to pursue opportunities elsewhere.

Sébastien Tisserand, who had served as syndic of the Chambre de l’assurance since October 2025, is no longer in the position. He announced his departure himself on October 21 in a post on LinkedIn. Tisserand had taken up the position of syndic at the Chambre de l’assurance de dommages (ChAD) in December 2024. He was subsequently selected to serve as syndic following the creation of the Chambre de l’assurance in July 2025.

The organization was created through the merger of the ChAD and the Chambre de la sécurité financière (CSF), announced by the Quebec government when it introduced Bill 92 on April 8, 2025. The legislation received royal assent on June 3, 2025.

Two other departures

Lawyer Geneviève Breton, an assistant syndic at the Chambre, also recently announced her departure. In a LinkedIn post, she indicated that she would begin a new position on October 26, 2026, at a human resources consulting firm as a lawyer specializing in dispute prevention and resolution. The move marks a return to the field in which she worked before joining the Chambre.

When Breton was hired as an assistant syndic at the CSF in the fall of 2024, staff turnover problems at the organization were making headlines. Breton became an assistant syndic at the Chambre de l’assurance in the summer of 2025.

Lawyer Catherine Bazinet has also left her position. According to her LinkedIn profile, she has not worked for the Chambre since July. The Chambre says she was responsible for disciplinary affairs and was not involved in investigations conducted by the office of the syndic.

In an October 23 post, she announced that she had joined the legal team at Therrien Couture Jolicœur. The law firm regularly receives mandates from the Chambre to represent the syndic and act as complainant before the disciplinary committee.

Appointment forthcoming

Contacted by Insurance Portal, the Chambre confirmed that "the board of directors will appoint an interim syndic in the coming weeks and begin the recruitment process to fill the position permanently," said Gabrielle Lachance, spokesperson for the Chambre.

The Chambre thanked Tisserand "for his contribution to establishing the current, solid structure of the office of the syndic in a context of merger, evolution and change. We wish him success in his future professional endeavours," Lachance said.

She emphasized that "everything is proceeding normally at the office of the syndic," adding that assistant syndics "have all the powers necessary to act and make decisions, including filing complaints with the disciplinary committee." The Chambre maintains that "public protection activities are not compromised by the absence of a syndic."

Departure announcement

In his October 21 message, Tisserand said he was leaving his position as syndic "proud of how far we have come and the results we have achieved collectively," as well as his contribution to "moving the organization forward during a pivotal period in its evolution."

He also thanked the members of the boards of directors and the people with whom he had worked over the previous two years. "This experience confirmed for me that the most solid transformations are built on clear direction, governance that supports action and teams that are trusted," he wrote.

The two people who headed the ChAD when he was recruited in 2024, Marc Beaudoin, CEO, and Ted Harman, chair of the board, commented on his departure beneath his post, as did some of his colleagues.

Already absent

Despite their merger, the two chambers continue to operate separate websites. On both sites, the syndic position is listed as "vacant."

Sébastien Tisserand had been absent from work for several months, according to information obtained by Insurance Portal. When questioned about the matter on October 15, the Chambre declined to specify how long he had been absent.

During a case management conference held on October 6 before the Financial Markets Administrative Tribunal (TMF), the lawyer representing the Chambre's syndic indicated that he had just returned to work following a medical leave of absence.

Long-standing problems

In November 2025, the Autorité des marchés financiers (AMF) released its inspection report on the Chambre de la sécurité financière. Of its 18 recommendations, the regulator identified four as high priority.

One of these specifically concerned staff turnover issues within the Professional Conduct and Ethics Department, which includes the office of the syndic. Staff retention problems had already been raised during inspections conducted in 2018 and 2021.

The ChAD has also experienced considerable staff turnover, particularly in the syndic position. When his hiring was announced in November 2024, Tisserand became the fourth person to hold the position of syndic since Marie-Josée Belhumeur left in the spring of 2022. Her successor, Yannick Chartrand, served from May 2022 to November 2023.

Michel Déry then served on an interim basis before being confirmed in the position in April 2024. He left the ChAD two months later. Carole Chauvin, who had previously served as syndic from 1999 to 2014, returned to the role on an interim basis until Tisserand was hired.