Mission and clientele

The mission of the Commission des normes du travail is as follows:  

“Through its action, the Commission promotes fair and balanced labour relations between employers and employees in compliance with the Act respecting labour standards.”  

Created following the passage of the Act respecting labour standards in 1980, the Commission des normes du travail is a legal person created in the public interest within the meaning of the Québec Civil Code. The Commission reports to the Minister of Labour.

In the performance of the duties conferred on it by the Act, the Commission carries out the following activities:

• communication and prevention activities with the public, employers and employees
• providing information on labour standards and on the obligations stipulated by the Act and the regulations
• monitoring the application of the Act respecting labour standards, its regulations and the National Holiday Act
• recording complaints, investigations, mediation, civil and penal proceedings, representation of employees before the courts and before the Commission des relations du travail
• authorization of the applications to stagger working hours
• research and analysis work, surveys, opinions and recommendations intended for the Minister of Labour.

In the carrying out of its mission, the Commission teams up with departments and public organizations, including the Ministère du Travail, Revenu Québec, Emploi Québec and the Commission des relations du travail. It also works in partnership with employee and employer associations.

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The Commission’s clientele is essentially made up of employees and employers of Québec.

According to the latest data provided by Statistics Canada, Québec had approximately 3,344,200 employees in 2008. The Commission evaluates that close to 3,084,627 (92%) of these employees were subject to the Act respecting labour standards and that 1,736,852 of these subject employees (56%) only had this legislation to govern their conditions of employment, not being protected by any other agreement.

According to Revenu Québec, Québec had 252,058 employers in 2008. The Commission des normes du travail evaluates that 248,412 of them (99%) were subject to the Act respecting labour standards and that 204,115 subject employers (82%) only had this legislation to govern the conditions of employment in their enterprise.

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