False data inflates number of strikes across Quebec, CSN urges caution

The Confédération des syndicats nationaux (CSN) found that data published by Statistics Canada concerning labour disputes in Quebec were false, leading employer organizations to wage an anti-union campaign based on this number.

In a news release on Wednesday, the CSN said that the reportedly false data was removed from the Statistics Canada website on Monday, after they questioned the federal agency about its validity.

“Unfortunately, this false data has been widely repeated, without verification,” the CSN said. “Even Labour Minister Jean Boulet has adopted this false data, even though his own department holds the correct data, which are published on its website.”

The CSN explained in the news release that there were not 759 strikes in Quebec in 2024, but rather 208 labour disputes — This according to data from the Quebec Ministry of Labour.

“The year 2024, while indeed punctuated by numerous work stoppages, was not a record year in this regard and is in fact slightly above the annual average,” the CSN said.

Adding that for two months, employer organizations, led by the Montreal Economic Institute (MEI), have been waging an anti-union campaign based on the inaccurate data to “amplify their calls to the CAQ government to restrict the right to strike.”

“Statistics Canada remains Canada’s source of reference and is relied upon by all research organizations across the nation,” says Renaud Brossard, Vice-President Communications at the MEI. “We acknowledge that the agency is now questioning and reviewing its own data following conversations with union officials.”

“No, there is no explosion in the number of labor disputes. No, 91 per cent of strikes in Canada do not take place in Quebec,” said CSN First Vice-President, François Enault.

“It’s important to set the record straight,” he added. “Now, we must return to the fundamental question: Who benefits from restricting the right to strike? Certainly not workers! We must ask ourselves why it’s important for employer lobbies to attack the right to strike by any means necessary, even if it means risking their credibility with false data!”

The CSN also noted in the news release that Statistics Canada does not produce this data itself. Exaplaing that it comes from Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC), the federal department responsible for labour issues, which draws its data from provincial ministries.

“The data on labour disputes in Quebec for the period of 2022-2025 that was published on the Statistics Canada webpage was incorrect and has been removed,” the ESDC told CityNews. “Employment and Social Development Canada is working with the Province of Quebec, who provides the information, and Statistics Canada to address the issue.”

The CSN said that representatives from the ESDC confirmed to them that the data on labour disputes in Quebec for the period 2022-2025 were inaccurate and “must be completely recalculated.”

“They even suggested that we use data from the Quebec Ministry of Labour instead, which they consider more reliable,” the CSN added. “Thus, a simple verification would have prevented the MEI from relaying false information.”