The April 26 editorial by Louise Maude Rioux Soucy raises a very important and little-mentioned point about the impacts of the law concerning the supervision of child labor and intergenerational equity. At a time when many workers want to reduce their working hours for family reasons or quite simply to better enjoy life, she rightly mentions that “the generation that is called in as reinforcements risks losing out” if it is not protected and if too many exceptions are made to the bill.
One can indeed wonder, audacious question, if all provide their fair share by letting the rising generations fill the deficits of manpower by occupying the odd jobs. The last province to adopt a minimum age for work, Quebec must not miss the opportunity to adopt a legislative tool that will prevent school dropouts and mental exhaustion among young people whose profession, at present, is attending school. Youth work is frequently a support given to families in difficulty. Alongside talk about young people’s desire for autonomy, there is often another reality hidden: that of helping families hit by inflation.
The battles waged for decades in Quebec, the many delays that we have had to make up for should make us reflect with a telescope of the common good. The common good requires that current generations who have benefited from past achievements care about the well-being of future generations so that the bill is not weakened by too many exceptions.
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