The Quebec government wants to limit the presence of children in the workforce and will table a bill as early as February to do so. The labour minister says he hopes the bill will be adopted by June, just in time for schoolchildren's 2023 summer break.
"There is much more fatigue, stress and anxiety among young people who work many hours per week," said Labour Minister Jean Boulet. "The risk of an accident is therefore higher."
The Opposition is onboard.
"Our goal is to have this piece of legislation and to have it adopted quickly," said Liberal education critic Marwah Rizqy, who worked on the file.
"At the end of the day, it is about the health and safety of minors and the educational success of children. This is a high priority and we cannot procrastinate on this issue for long."
She said she was prompted to start asking questions at the National Assembly and pushing for child labour regulations in May, after Radio-Canada reported that an 11-year-old girl had been using a deep fryer at her job.
Boulet's announcement follows a report from Quebec's advisory committee on labour and workforce (CCTM).
Boulet said there are details left to refine before the bill will be ready for the National Assembly.
The CCTM, a grouping of unions and employer associations, unanimously recommended the minimum age for employment be set at 14 — with a few exceptions.
Children 13 and under would be allowed to work only in specific settings like babysitting, fruit-picking, family businesses and...
crime TOKYO Videos falsely portraying foreigners as stealing metal from railway tracks in Japan have spread widely on the country's social media, apparently to suggest foreigners are a threat to p...