Quebec construction industry launches campaign against discrimination, harassment at work sites

Stakeholders in the construction industry are joining forces to put an end to the various forms of discrimination and harassment that still persist on building sites and which contribute to the loss of too many workers.

A campaign on this issue was launched on Monday in Montreal. It targets not only women, but also people from different cultural communities entering the industry, young people who are still apprentices – in fact, anyone likely to be subjected to derogatory remarks, often disguised as jokes.

“She’ll break a nail rummaging through her tool belt.” “She should be at home making packed lunches” or “we’ll have to tell her three times” or “he’s an immigrant.” These kinds of remarks, which can hurt, belittle the person and call their competence into question, still persist in 2026. And it is this kind of working environment that the campaign is tackling.

“Laws aren’t everything. We’re talking about culture, prevention and vigilance,” said Labour Minister Jean Boulet, who was present at the launch.

Audrey Murray, Chair and CEO of the Commission de la construction du Québec, emphasised that with a 30 per cent dropout rate over five years, the issue needs to be addressed. “Seven per cent of those who leave us do so because of the working environment,” she reported.

The minister noted that the industry had taken on 8,360 female workers in 2025, representing 4.1 per cent of the total workforce. It is well known that women leave the industry in greater numbers than men.

Hydro-Québec, a major employer in the construction sector, was so impressed by this campaign that it has decided to roll it out across all its construction sites, said Michel Bouchard, vice-president of construction projects at the state-owned company.

“We must have the courage to address these disparities,” at all levels, added Bouchard.

On the trade union side, the president of FTQ-Construction, Alexandre Ricard, who was also present at the launch, pointed out that job insecurity can also play a part in workers not daring to lodge a complaint when they find themselves in a problematic situation.

“The statistic that springs to mind is this: 79 per cent of people who have experienced bullying or discrimination on construction sites did not want to report it, for a variety of reasons. “What we, as a union, identify is largely job insecurity,” the fact that these workers do not dare to complain, for fear of not being called back to work or of not being seen as someone who fits in well with the team.

“Given the precarious nature of employment, if we really want to create a healthy working environment, we need to discuss job insecurity and job security with employers,” the union leader argued in an interview.

–This report by La Presse Canadienne was translated by CityNews