On February 7 and 8 at the Maison d’Haïti in Montreal, The Movement will host its first-ever Great Gathering, a milestone that will unite members, partners, and allies from across Québec to reflect on a transformative year and chart the way forward. But beyond being a major event, the Great Gathering signifies something deeper: an opportunity to collectively shape the future of autonomy for women and people during the peri-pregnancy period.

To understand why this moment matters, we turned to the people who shaped this year’s work – the organizers, partners, and members whose voices continue to define The Movement’s mission. Their insights paint a compelling portrait of a community in motion, united and ready to take action. 

A Year Built on Listening: What We Heard Across Québec

If 2025 had a single defining theme for our organization, it was listening. Across the province, The Movement undertook its most ambitious regional tour to date, visiting Montréal, Québec City, l’Outaouais, la Côte-Nord, le Saguenay, la Montérégie, Laval et même les Îles-de-la-Madeleine. Our goal was to meet people where they live and hear their stories firsthand so that we could understand the realities shaping their peri-pregnancy journeys.

Families and individuals shared:

• The rights they weren’t always aware of
• Unequal access to peri-pregnancy support
• Gaps in their perinatal experiences
• Challenges faced, especially by marginalized communities
• The emotional and practical toll created by the lack of choice

For Sabrina Sahed, Coordinator of Communications and Community Life for The Movement, the tour was transformative: “It helped us take the pulse of the field and better understand realities from one end of Québec to the other.”

Elise, who coordinated much of the process, noted how this had allowed the Movement to better target its actions: “This will allow the Movement to be more targeted in its action strategies, both at the individual, regional, and national levels.”

And for Sarah Landry, our General Coordinator, the tour was more than just a consultation; it was a form of empowerment. “We carried the voice of families so the consultations and the Summit of the États généraux reflected them and helped them feel involved,” she says.

Our year of listening wasn’t passive. It’s become the foundation for everything that follows, including the vision and reflection process behind the Great Gathering itself.

Laying the Foundation for Something Bigger

While the tour grounded The Movement in lived experience, another major force shaped the year behind the scenes: in-depth strategic thinking guided by seasoned mentors.

Thanks to the financial support of Women and Gender Equality Canada and Innoweave, the Movement benefited from the mentorship of Judith Gaudet and Ludovic Décoret of Innoweave. We conducted an intensive internal process called “Strategic Impact and Clarity.”

This work aims to challenge organizations to define clearly:

• what impact they seek,
• who they serve,
• where they can create real change,
• and which pathways will get them there.

During this process, we identified the root causes of inequalities experienced by people during the perinatal period, reevaluated our longstanding activities to ensure they still aligned with our mission, and determined where to reallocate our time and resources.

It was intense and emotional, but highly transformative and incredibly rewarding. Sabrina clearly describes the impact: “Their mentorship helped us structure our thinking, make important decisions, and sometimes let go of certain historic missions to move forward.”

“The board and the team showed real motivation to clarify the next steps,” our partners at Innoweave shared. “This sincere reflection revealed the Movement’s true capacities and possibilities to support pregnant people with dignity and choice.”

The clarity work we did during this process isn’t abstract. It’s directly shaping our Great Gathering and has prepared us to present:

• A refined theory of change
• Clearer priorities,
• Stronger alignment between community experience and strategic direction
• A realistic, grounded understanding of what meaningful impact requires.

This ensures the Gathering will be a space not only to celebrate the past but also to choose the future together.

Why Gather in Person: Change Begins with Connection

Across all interviews, one recurring theme was that connection is The Movement’s greatest strength. Virtual meetings can support work, but they can’t replace the energy of gathering in the same room and collaborating with shared passion.

“Seeing each other in person is very different,” Sarah explains. “It helps us exchange, understand that we face similar issues, and re-energize.” Sabrina similarly says, “We rarely get the chance to meet in person. Gathering helps recreate connection, solidarity, and collective momentum.”

Elise highlights the fundamental reason why in-person meetings are essential: “Thinking about future demands and building strength in numbers requires informal conversations that are simply impossible virtually.”

This is why The Movement prioritizes accessibility: childcare, financial support for travel and accommodations, and an accessible venue. We want to ensure that everyone who wants to participate can do so with dignity and ease.

What Makes the Great Gathering Special

Unlike the 2018 Coalition for Midwifery event, which mainly focused on citizen groups and parent committees, our 2026 gathering will include a wider community. It will bring together:

• Long-time activists
• New members
• Partners and collaborators
• Individuals interested in perinatal rights
• Families whose experiences guide The Movement’s actions

“This Gathering is for everyone who wants to contribute,” Sarah emphasizes.

The event will also mark the first time the Movement shares its theory of change and updated strategic directions, along with the consolidated insights from the regional tour. This will offer a clear view of where we’ve been, where we’re headed, and the plan for how we’ll get there together.

Sabrina sees this moment as a bridge connecting the past with the future, “We will look at what we’ve accomplished and envision what we want to achieve. Members’ motivations and the demands they want us to address will shape the coming years.”

What Attendees Will Gain

Our desire is that participants will leave feeling connected and inspired. Sarah hopes members walk away feeling part of something bigger: “I want them to feel linked, mobilized, and eager to talk about the Movement with their loved ones.”

Similarly, Sabrina wants participants to find renewal, “I hope they leave feeling they are not alone — that they’re part of a large network working to improve perinatal services in Québec.”

And Élise views the Gathering as a powerful exchange between regions. “People from each region benefit from learning from one another and coordinating to create national strength,” she explains.

The Great Gathering is designed to be a place where belonging turns into action, where families understand not only why but how we’re transforming Québec’s birth culture.

It’s a Moment to Join Something Larger Than Ourselves

When we asked the team how to convince someone to participate in the Great Gathering 2026, their answers were simple yet heartfelt.

• “Come get informed, have fun, share, and learn.” — Sarah
• “It’s the perfect moment to discover what the Movement does and help redefine our future directions.” — Sabrina
• “Share information, build bridges, and leave inspired to get involved.” — Élise

This event isn’t the end of a process. It’s the beginning of a collective journey shaped by hundreds of voices, each one important and heard. The Gathering embodies everything The Movement stands for: listening, reflection, courage, solidarity, and the conviction that the autonomy of women and people in the peri-pregnancy period can and must be different.

We hope this will be a space where lessons from the past year turn into collective action and where members can strengthen their connections. February 2026 isn’t just an event but an invitation to show up, speak out, and dream together. Let’s decide as a community what comes next in our strategy. To register for our Grand Gathering, please fill out our form.