Minister Jean Boulet was severely blamed last September for spouting a string of falsehoods about immigrants.
But this week, he’s making the headlines for a very good reason, which is important to underline. He announced Monday that a bill will be tabled at the beginning of next year to better regulate the work of young people, an issue on which Quebec is lagging behind. He says he intends to draw inspiration from the recent report of the Labor and Manpower Advisory Committee.
It recommends, among other things, that the minimum age for working be set at 14 (as in Ontario), except in certain specific cases, provided for by regulation. There is also talk of limiting the number of hours of work per week to 17 for young people attending school, “with the exception of the holiday, spring break and summer periods”. With an even stricter limit from Monday to Friday.
It’s very simple, working is currently too easy for young people in Quebec of school age. Result: in the field of education as elsewhere, there is concern to see more teenagers drop out to hold a well-paid job. That Quebec is giving itself the means to act quickly to counter this trend is excellent news.
And if, alongside these new measures, the Ministry of Education (finally) made school compulsory until the age of 18 or until obtaining a diploma, that would be even better!