While the detailed study of Bill 19 on the supervision of child labor in Quebec is underway in the National Assembly, the Commission des droits de la personne et des droits de la jeunesse wishes to position itself publicly, as defender of children’s rights in Quebec, especially since an exception could be granted to certain agricultural producers.
The Commission has followed with interest and concern the debates surrounding Bill 19 on the supervision of child labour. If we are satisfied that a framework for child labor is proposed and discussed, a concern persists about the responsibility of employers. This concern is fueled by the speeches that followed the tabling of the bill.
In fact, Quebec employers have the responsibility to protect working children with regard to the number of hours worked daily, as well as to adapt their schedules according to school and extracurricular activities. As a result, if employers do not massively adhere to the framework proposed by the bill, the problems are likely to persist, or even worsen. We insist on the need for sustained action on the part of employers given the harmful consequences that could result from laxity in the strict application of rules on child labour.
It is also crucial that employers are fully aware of the challenges that the work-study balance can represent for some children. Their decision to hire children implies that they agree to modulate their expectations of them and to adapt their tasks taking into account their specific needs, and not the reverse. This must also apply to all sectors exempted by the 14-year rule, including agricultural producers.
In particular, we are concerned that in the absence of specific measures, some employers will continue to group working hours according to their organizational needs, and not according to those of the children attending school.
Children’s interest
For the interests of the child to be preserved, the latter must be able to devote the time necessary to carrying out all the activities that contribute to his development, such as socialization with his peers, family life, schooling, leisure and rest. Furthermore, we note with regret that the opinion of children on a subject which concerns them in the first place is not sought, whereas it is a fundamental principle in terms of the rights of the child. Currently, a notable imbalance exists in the public space between the strong voice of the actors carrying the economic interests and that of the children, hardly audible. This is all the more surprising since children aged 14 and over are considered adults for the exercise of acts related to their employment, according to Quebec law.
We recognize that work can be beneficial for children when it is carried out in conditions appropriate to their age, in particular because it allows them to acquire skills and learn to assume responsibilities. However, so that children can take advantage of the advantages that work experience gives them, it seems more essential than ever to give clear guidelines to all employers in Quebec who hire children or who plan to do so.
Finally, the Commission wishes to recall that the shortage of labor should in no way be a leitmotif that can socially legitimize the resurgence of child labour.
* Letter co-signed with Myrlande Pierre, vice-president responsible for the mandate charter, Suzanne Arpin, vice-president responsible for the youth mandate, as well as as the members of the Commission for Human Rights and Youth Rights.