(Quebec) The Minister of Labour, Jean Boulet, will table his bill on Tuesday to regulate child labor.
It should be based largely on the report submitted to it by the Advisory Committee on Labor and Manpower (CCTM), according to information gathered by La Presse Canadienne.
The group of unions and employers’ associations unanimously recommended to him last December to establish at 14 the general age of admission to employment.
Clearly, this would mean that young people aged 11, 12 or 13 could no longer work, except for exceptions that would be provided for by regulation.
The CCTM also recommended prohibiting young people between the ages of 14 and 16 from working more than 17 hours a week (including weekends) during the school year.
Monday to Friday would be a maximum of 10 hours. These last two restrictions would not apply during holidays and spring breaks.
In the midst of a labor shortage, more and more children find themselves in the labor market, with the risks that entails.
Their increased presence in the workplace raises not only health and safety issues, accidents having jumped 36% among those under 16 in 2021, but also school dropouts.
Currently, in Quebec, there is no minimum age to work, unlike many other Canadian provinces.