Faced with a major labor shortage, Quebec will rely more and more on the contribution of temporary foreign workers to meet its needs, all year round, and in all sectors of activity. .
In order to attract this additional workforce, the Legault government intends to better respect the rights of these temporary foreign workers who stay in Quebec without knowing the French language and unaware of our laws.
The Minister of Labor, Jean Boulet, announced on Monday that the existing government prevention squad, created in 2019 to supervise these workers, will be reinforced and extended to several sectors of activity, in addition to becoming permanent.
At a press conference, the Minister recalled that this seasonal auxiliary workforce, often associated with the agricultural sector, had the same rights as all other workers, and that it should be better informed.
The squad of the Commission for Standards, Equity, Health and Safety at Work (CNESST) will therefore go beyond the agricultural sector, which occupied it from May to August, to cover the whole year during the retail, manufacturing, accommodation, catering, food processing, management of companies and enterprises, and healthcare.
The initiative is based on the observation that these workers, the vast majority of whom come from Mexico, Guatemala and Honduras, are unaware of their rights, while the employers who hire them are often unaware of their obligations towards them, in terms of working conditions and standards to be met.
By 2023, the squad, which will have a dozen agents and a team of coordinators, will offer information workshops in the field, in several regions, on standards, occupational health and safety. These workshops will be available in Spanish. Personalized consulting services can also be provided as needed.
By next year, the squad will have to be deployed “everywhere in Quebec” where the need will be felt, said the minister, who intends to give itself “the means to meet the demand” from employers.
Quebec estimates that no fewer than 5,000 companies are claiming the contribution of temporary workers.
Last year, Quebec welcomed 30,000 seasonal foreign workers, two-thirds of whom ended up on farms.
Minister Boulet said that Quebec had a duty to welcome these people in a “humane and dignified” manner.