Wasn’t that forbidden?
It is very good news to prohibit child labor, but I have always believed that it was prohibited! It’s amazing what the shortage of personnel can highlight, namely, making children work to maintain the economic activity of a region, a province or a country. I understand the dismay of small traders who are struggling to get their heads above water, especially after the lean years of the pandemic. However, I don’t understand the solution they came up with to fix it. Nor do I understand the parents of the 90,000 children who let them go to work with their little sandwiches after school or on weekend mornings. These young people must discover their world, our world, through play, reading, the arts, sports and of course through studies.
Suzanne Bastien, Repentigny
A choice
I don’t think this is a good idea. Children under the age of 14 who decide to work mostly do so by choice. They want to contribute to society, while collecting money for their financial independence (they do not all have the same family means).
Catherine Sanfacon
Under supervision
I don’t think working at the mall a few hours a week when there’s no school is a problem for 13-year-olds, especially if they’re supervised by adults in charge of a shop For example.
Sylvie Archambault, Laval
An additional burden on employers
This announcement saddens me, being an employer as well as a mother of a 13-year-old child. This news adds an additional burden on the shoulders of employers. 13-year-olds are sometimes very motivated and very involved, and with the workforce becoming increasingly scarce, it will only make hiring more complex. Working a few hours a week only empowered them and made their summer a bit more normal. Yes to days off, but not every day, eight weeks is a long time.
Julie Archambault, Napierville
Sticks in the wheels
What do I say to my boy who was supposed to have a job as a dishwasher this summer? I am in the region and no, there is no work for him. We both work full time and he will be alone all summer. What do I do with him to make him enjoy his summer? The government has just put a spoke in our wheels for him and for the employer who needed him!
Karine Godbout
Let them laugh, run, play…
I applaud! Let the children live their youth. Let’s not put the stress on them to solve our labor shortage. Let’s encourage our children to laugh, play, run free for as long as possible. They will quickly have to work to manage their life and their budget. Work is not a nursery for young people.
Danielle Masson
Proud to work at 13
My 13 year old daughter has been working at an IGA since the end of January. She was very proud and it worked very well for her. She was very encouraged and this seemed to meet part of the employer’s need. I know he would have liked her to work more hours, but we didn’t want to. The government imposes its way of seeing on us. I am so disappointed and shocked at the situation. Work does not kill anyone, my 75 year old father still works more than 50 hours a week.
Stephanie Martineau
Too young for the worries of workers
Very happy with this change. I always feel a little uncomfortable being served by a kid at a restaurant or at the grocery store. I find them too young to already have the worries of workers and the financial needs to allow them to buy useless trifles. That the parents get moving and find a second job, if they have a budget that is too tight!
Gisele Gagnon, Levis
My daughter can, my son can’t
I have a daughter who can work this summer (14 years old) and who will not be affected by the new law. But his 12-year-old brother, seeing his sister so happy, wanted to work a few hours during the summer days, in a mini-putt, to learn about the world of work, learn to meet colleagues, an employer, customers. (families), in a world of entertainment, and also make a small salary. […] I find it very deplorable to announce this law at the last minute. [Mon fils] would have benefited from a better balance thanks to this small livelihood, which would have made him even more responsible, motivated and oriented. I find that you have to adjust to the new generation of young people today, they are no longer like in the 1980s. Their individual maturity is also a factor to be taken into account. I am impressed to see their rapid evolution, in terms of being educated and learning about the world!
Caroline Bochud
let us judge
I find it ok to limit the hours during the school year, but for the summer… Can you let us judge the capacity of our children please? Putting gas in a boat at the age of 13… It’s not dangerous after all!
Josee Martin