Volume 63, Number 4, 1996

EN:

A company's success depends on its manpower and organization. We thank Professor Robert Lacroix for authorizing us to print the speech he presented on October 5th at a seminar entitled "At the dawn of the 21st century" which was jointly organized by Cirano and MLH + A inc. The author reviews the '60s, the glorious years, and the major changes that have affected the job market and work organization. In his conclusion, he ponders the future in the context of the global economy and touches on some key questions: the permanence of work, ongoing training, methods of compensation and employee benefits.

FR:

Nous remercions Mme Abdalyan, juriste specialisée en droit bancaire, pour son aimable autorisation de publier son étude portant sur l’étendue du mandat confié, en 1983, à l’Association canadienne des paiements en vertu de la Loi sur l’Association canadienne des paiements. Apres avoir rappelé les lignes directrices du mandat confié à l’Association, à savoir sa mission d’établir et de mettre en oeuvre un système national de compensation et de règlement mais encore de planifier le développement du système national de paiement, l’auteure examine comment l’Association s’est acquittée de son double mandat, depuis quinze ans, dans un contexte économique en constante évolution.

EN:

At the 35th annual meeting of the Association des intermédiaires en assurance de personnes du Québec, held last November, Mr. Robert Parizeau gave a general overview of the profound changes that have been affecting the insurance industry since 1980. The first part of his speech focused on government reforms, the global market and the emergence of new conglomerates. In the second part, the author looks at the immediate future: the arrival of banks in the insurance industry and the new challenges for intermediaries, such as direct marketing, new technology, employee training, target market strategies and new methods of distributing products and services. Mr. Parizeau states that the near future will not only bring much change for insurance intermediaries, but also new opportunities.

EN:

The rise of consumerism as a powerful force is one of the major social developments in insurance in the last two decades, particularly since the 1974 insurance law reform and the 1994 new civil code. The author describes several legislative provisions and recent decisions regarding consumer protection and their possible impact on insurance principles. The thrust of the consumerist movement focuses on the discrepancy between insurance policies and their application, the distinction between insurance coverage and scope of coverage, the insured's reasonable expectation and many others court interpretations in favor of the insured.

FR:

Monsieur Remtulla, un consultant indépendant dans le domaine des opérations financières, nous livre le fruit de ses réflexions sur la résolution des conflits en réassurance par voie d’arbitrage. L’auteur analyse et commente la disposition standard portant sur l’arbitrage. Il trouve intéressante l’idée d’amender la clause en y ajoutant la résolution des conflits par voie de médiation. Les engagements réciproques entre les parties étant à la base même des conventions de réassurance, l’auteur conclut sur la nécessité de régler les différends à l’amiable, par arbitre interposé, plutôt que par voie judiciaire, et sur l’importance de bien connaître les règles arbitrales.

EN:

The very nature of personal questions asked by insurers requires that the answers be given special treatment to ensure the individual and his or her private life are respected. Reconciling the requirements of medical secrecy and the information insurers require to assess a risk is not easy and has given rise to a mutual distrust between physicians and insurers. For physicians, medical secrecy is essential and no departure must be permitted. Insurers who fear anti-selection see it is an obstacle to equitable risk assessment. In his article, Laurent Homont asks a fundamental question: is medicine subservient to insurance or is it at the service of insurance? He suggests establishing an impenetrable barrier between the medical and administrative spheres that come under the insurer. The delicate balance between the protection of insureds and insurers rests on the protection of the individual. To date, no report recommends departure from medical secrecy in favour of insurance companies. While the article deals with the French experience, it strikes a sensitive chord here in Canada.