The Minister of Labour, Jean Boulet, suspects employers of wanting to distort Bill 19, which aims to limit the presence of children in the labor market.
This is what he suggested on Tuesday, on the first day of special consultations, when several employer groups demanded exceptions.
Bill 19 would set the minimum age for working in Quebec at 14, and would prohibit young people between the ages of 14 and 16 from working more than 17 hours a week during the school year, excluding holidays.
“I remain with the feeling that there is still an attempt to do indirectly what we cannot do directly,” said the minister.
The Federation of Chambers of Commerce of Quebec (FCCQ) had just asked him to allow children under 14 to obtain exemptions to the room.
Family businesses
It also demanded that all owners and directors of family businesses, including those with more than ten employees, be able to employ their children.
This proposal was also taken up by the Conseil du patronat du Québec (CPQ) and the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB).
They pointed out that family businesses such as grocery stores or agricultural businesses often employ more than ten employees at certain times of the year.
“It seems unlikely to us that a young person is more at risk in a family business with 20 employees than in a business with 10,” said FCCQ President and CEO Charles Milliard.
To (re)see: Débrouillage | Regulate child labor
And summer?
In addition, the CPQ has called for more flexibility from the legislator so that young people under the age of 14 can continue to work this summer.
“Why not give these young people and businesses the chance to get through the summer season? […] and have time to adapt? asked CPQ president Karl Blackburn.
CFIB vice-president François Vincent went further, saying that the approximately 90,000 young people under the age of 14 who are currently working should keep their jobs.
“These thousands of young people who will be shown the door are the same ones who have not been able to practice their sport or see their friends for almost two years,” pleaded Mr. Vincent.
A young 13 year old and dust could live the situation with difficulty, according to him. “All his friends are going to do summer work, but he’s going to be caught playing Nintendo in the basement,” he said.
To all these requests, Minister Boulet replied that it was necessary to avoid risking the health and safety of the youngest, and that a single accident this summer would be one too many.
“We must remember that we are here to better protect our children and ensure their educational success,” he said in his opening remarks.
The opinion of the unions
Unlike employers, the Confederation of National Trade Unions (CSN) said it was concerned about the exception granted to family businesses with fewer than 10 employees, which it describes as a “dangerous breach”.
“We are concerned that this exception will serve as a springboard for demands to expand the areas where children under 14 could work,” writes the trade union center in its brief.
The Quebec Federation of Labor (FTQ) wants it to apply only to family farming businesses or to “work free of risks to the health and safety of children”.
For its part, the Central Trade Unions of Quebec (CSQ) proposes an addition: to make compulsory a training intended for the young workers of less than 16 years, giving right to a certification to work.
“We must ensure that these young people have the necessary resources and information when they enter the labor market,” insisted the president of the CSQ, Éric Gingras.
Special consultations on Bill 19 will continue until Thursday. About fifteen groups were invited to present their brief to the Committee on Labor and the Economy.