For over 50 years, almost all construction workers have been hanging up their helmets and tools at the same time to take two weeks off in the middle of summer. An overview of this specifically Quebec tradition.
Why take a vacation from construction?
The construction holidays aim to coordinate construction sites across Quebec by imposing two weeks of general leave on almost all workers in the field.
“With all the different trades that have to be present on a construction site at the same time, it would be difficult to maintain a good work rhythm if vacations were organized on a case-by-case basis,” explains Johanne Brunet, public affairs advisor at the Commission de la construction du Québec (CCQ), according to whom construction vacations also allow workers to recharge their batteries during part-time work.
This year, the construction holidays will take place from July 21 to August 3 inclusive. No fewer than 200,000 workers in Quebec’s construction industry will take time off during this period, according to the CCQ.
A hard-earned right
If the construction holidays came into being, it is first of all because the post-war workers fought for “not having working conditions worthy of the 19th century”.e century, and have the right to paid leave,” recalls historian Catherine Tourangeau.
In 1946, Quebec workers were among the first in North America to obtain one week of paid vacation per year. In 1968, they obtained two.
“Because the construction industry is a big industry, and it can’t spread its operations out over the year because of the weather, it’s easier to have two specific weeks set aside for vacations,” the historian adds.
Negotiations between unions, businesses and the government led to the imposition of a two-week mid-summer vacation for construction workers in 1970.
According to Catherine Tourangeau, it was a question of good management, for this large sector “where the majority of the workforce works under contract, and where bosses change quickly.”
A Quebec specificity
In Quebec, the construction vacation model as we know it remains largely uncontested. However, it is not found anywhere else, according to Catherine Tourangeau. “There is no other country where this exists, vacations that target a sector of activity so precisely, and it does not seem to interest them either,” she says.
Other Canadian provinces have not shown much interest in such a model either, adds the historian. “Generally speaking, the state is a little less powerful in other provinces, so there may be less interest in controlling vacation periods there. […] They seem quite happy with their model,” she says.
The opportunity to see the country
Construction workers are far from the only ones taking a break during this period. According to Tourisme Québec, 22% of Quebecers took time off during the construction holidays in 2023. Most of them took the opportunity to visit their province: no less than 67% of travellers planned to travel to Quebec during these two weeks in 2023.
This enthusiasm is making the tourism industry happy. “The construction holidays are a busy period for Gaspésie, just like for other regions of Quebec,” emphasizes Judith Kilgour, communications coordinator at Tourisme Gaspésie.
The regions of Quebec (19%), Eastern Townships (15%) and Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean (13%) are the busiest during this period, followed closely by Charlevoix (12%), Bas-Saint-Laurent (12%) and Gaspésie (11%).
More risky on the road
The long distances to be covered and the festive evenings that accompany the construction holidays make it a riskier period for drivers, according to the Société d’assurance automobile du Québec (SAAQ). During these two weeks, road accidents cause approximately 1,500 deaths or injuries each year, with an average of 19 deaths, 83 serious injuries and 1,466 minor injuries.
The main causes of these accidents are fatigue, impaired driving, distraction, reckless behaviour and speed, recalls the SAAQ, which called on Quebecers to be cautious in a press release on Thursday.