Child Labor Law | A drop in work accidents observed

(Quebec) It will almost be a year since the Law on the supervision of child labor, led by Minister Jean Boulet, was adopted in the National Assembly. Has this law achieved its objectives?

Yes, Mr. Boulet immediately responds in an interview with La Presse Canadienne in his office in parliament. He notes a marked reduction in work accidents among young people.

Remember that the law sets the minimum age for working in Quebec at 14, with some exceptions, and prohibits young people aged 14 to 16 from working more than 17 hours per week during the school year, excluding holidays.

The minister has set two objectives, namely to ensure the health and safety of children, in addition to enabling school perseverance and educational success.

The law came into force in two stages: employers who employed a young person under the age of 14 had 30 days from 1^er June 2023 to send them a notice of termination of employment.

Three months later, on the 1^er September, young people aged between 14 and 16 saw their working hours limited to 17 per week (including weekends) during the school year, excluding holidays.

Monday to Friday is a maximum of 10 hours.

Armed with a preliminary assessment, Minister Boulet affirms that the law has had a positive effect on young people. In 2023, occupational injuries among minors fell by 19% compared to 2022.

For those under 14, this is a drop of 33.3%, and for those 16 and under, 17%.

If we look more closely at the months from June to December 2023, i.e. the months following the adoption of the law, the figures are even more telling: those under 14 experienced a drop in work accidents of 41% compared to the same period in 2022, and those aged 16 and under, a drop of 17%.

“I am very satisfied,” declares Jean Boulet, smiling. Remember what motivated us. From 2017 to 2022, there was a 640% increase in occupational injuries among those under 14, 80% among those 16 and under. »

Regarding school perseverance, the minister says he is waiting for data from the Quebec Network for Educational Success, which will be updated this fall, before drawing conclusions.

582 compliance inspections

To enforce the law, the Commission for Standards, Equity, Health and Safety at Work (CNESST) carried out 582 compliance inspections between June and December 2023.

Ten offenses were noted, four of which concerned the ban on working for a child under 14 years old.

Three were linked to the obligation to obtain and maintain the written consent of the holder of parental authority to exceptionally employ a child under 14 years of age.

An offense was noted in relation to non-compliance with the ban on having a child work between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m.; another concerned the obligation to enter in the register the date of birth of a worker under 18 years of age.

Finally, a final offense was reported, concerning a child who worked more than 17 hours per week or 10 hours from Monday to Friday.

The law provides for hefty fines for offending employers: $1,200 for a first offense and $12,000 for a repeat offense. Of the 10 infractions, only one report was issued and the employer decided to contest it.

The minister does not hide it: there was “resistance”, especially in the catering and retail sectors, which demanded more flexibility from the government, in particular so that it allows young people under 14 years of age to obtain exemptions from the room.

However, with the Labor and Workforce Advisory Committee, a grouping of union and employer associations, “we had reached a consensus (…) and that gives (…) support to resist,” he said .

Children, play!

To parents who disagree with the law, because they would prefer their 12-13 year old child to work instead of sitting in front of a screen, the minister responds that we must encourage children to flourish differently, through game.

“There are summer camps, reading, games with friends, outside activities. We cannot say: “If my child does not work, he will act on screen”, that is false. You must ensure that your child is well supervised and this involves a multitude of educational activities. There are a lot of them during the summer,” says Jean Boulet.

Perfectible law?

So, is the law governing child labor perfect as it is? All laws can be improved, underlines Mr. Boulet, who cannot exclude certain “adaptations” in the future.

“The law had the desired effect. At the same time, can it be improved? We will see over the years. (…) We will see to adapt it if necessary. (…) We will also have to evolve while taking into account social changes. »

He thinks out loud about whether jobs in artificial intelligence are safe for children, before trailing off. “What I’m saying is a bit futuristic,” he says.

When asked directly whether he intends to add or remove exceptions, he concludes with a “no, certainly not”.