Quebec lacks housing, it is well known. And our schools need love, like our hospitals and our roads.
Unfortunately, even if governments invest more, even if the private sector multiplies residential projects, Quebec will struggle to make up for the delays for a very simple reason: it lacks hands.
It is in this context that the Minister of Labor of Quebec, Jean Boulet, undertook to modernize the construction industry, at the request of François Legault. Discussions between the Ministry of Labour, unions and employers began earlier this year, according to what I learned.1 In particular, the government wants to dust off the code that governs work in industry in Quebec, known as Act R-20.2 This law governs nearly 60% of the construction work carried out in Quebec.
“Our ultimate goal is to improve productivity, labor retention and efficiency in the industry,” Jean Boulet’s spokesperson, Maude Méthot-Faniel, told me. Consultations will continue over the next few months, but no timeline has been set.
Key figures? Last summer, the industry was short 17,000 people, equivalent to almost 10% of the 175,000 workers.
And that’s just the beginning. This industry will be hit by the aging of its workers and by the decrease in the number of young people likely to take over. Not only has the cohort of young people aged 15-24 diminished in recent years, but the proportion of those who, among this smaller group, enroll in basic education is declining.
For now, Quebec cannot count on temporary foreign workers (TFW), as for agriculture, given the many rules that govern the construction industry.
The observation is inescapable: in Quebec, less than 100 workers have been hired by the industry over the past two years, a meager 1.2% of the Canadian total (8,548), according to research by the Association de la construction du Québec ( ACQ), which represents 20,000 companies in the institutional, commercial and industrial sectors.
What to do ? Many things.
In the case of temporary foreign workers, Quebec entrepreneurs are throwing in the towel for various reasons. There are the long delays in hiring them (6 to 8 months) and the investments required (from $6,000 to $12,000 per worker), among other things.
Above all, there are regulations that require foreign workers to be hired for two years, while the industry is seasonal, explains Guillaume Houle, spokesperson for the ACQ. We should be able to hire them only for the high season, between April and November.
“Companies prefer to take fewer contracts and that’s too bad,” said the ACQ spokesperson.
In a brief presented to the Minister of Finance, Eric Girard, the ACQ asks that means be taken to increase productivity, in particular by relaxing certain rules.3
In Quebec, there are 26 trades, compared to only 7 in Ontario. The ACQ is not necessarily against this structure of trades, given the quality of their training, but it would like the unions to accept a certain flexibility between the trades.
For example, a resilient flooring installer might do the work of a tile setter, like a drywall installer/jointer might do paint.
“The regulations in Quebec are more restrictive. In Ontario, it takes one worker to do 4 meters of sidewalk, while in Quebec, it takes 7 trades to do the same job,” says Mr. Houle.
Another request: that the government offer a tax credit to allow companies to acquire new technologies, such as exoskeletons to protect the backs of workers, or software for work planning.
On the union side, the positions differ according to the unions. At the Quebec Provincial Council of Construction Trades – called the International –, we say we are sensitive to these labor shortage issues and to the search for equitable solutions.
The priority issues are attracting young people, retaining the workforce and training, among others. “We are working to find a way through for solutions,” spokesperson Carl Charest told me.
Quebec, you should know, is recognized in Canada for the quality of its construction workforce, which can be explained through training and competency cards.
The retention rate of those who enter the industry with training, ie with a vocational studies diploma (DEP), is higher than the others, ie 75% after 5 years compared to 60% for the others. These other employees are those who enter the industry through the opening of labor pools, permitted by regulations in certain contexts, such as shortages.
On this subject, the FTQ-Construction, for its part, affirms that among the 27,000 new workers over the past two years, 80% entered the industry through the opening of the pools, and only 20% with a diploma. Five years ago, this proportion was 40%-60%.
We insist that training is essential and that it should be compulsory for everyone, even if it means requiring it on a part-time basis for those who enter through the opening of the basins. The ACQ, for its part, offers internships during the training.
For the rest, the tone of the FTQ-Construction is more reserved. The director general, Éric Boisjoly, affirms that “the modernization of the R-20 law was not launched for reasons of labor shortage”. The union also wants to take the opportunity to recover the right to file grievances.
As for temporary foreign workers, the FTQ-Construction says it wants to ensure that they can take the health and safety certification, which is only offered in French and English.
“We know that there is overheating. The government must better plan public works [écoles, routes, etc.] depending on the availability of manpower,” says Mr. Boisjoly.
A major project, therefore, and intense negotiations in view to modernize the construction industry.
1. The leaders of the Commission de la construction du Québec (CCQ), the Régie du bâtiment and the Commission for standards, equity, health and safety at work (CNESST) also take part.
2. Law on Labor Relations, Vocational Training and Manpower Management in the Construction Industry