Unemployment rights groups raise concerns over scale of job losses in Quebec
Posted October 9, 2026 2:22 pm.
Unemployment rights groups are concerned about the scale of recent job losses, which are particularly affecting Quebec.
In its overall statistics released Friday, Statistics Canada specifies that in September, employment fell by 49,000 in Quebec and by 68,000 in Canada.
For Quebec, Statistics Canada recorded cumulative job losses of 130,000 from January to September.
“When we look at the concentration in Quebec, we can say that Quebec is now more affected, a bit like Ontario was, over the past year,” commented Milan Bernard, co-spokesperson for the National Council of Unemployed People, which brings together groups dedicated to defending the rights of the unemployed, in an interview.
Bernard sees a “political dimension” in the types of jobs affected. For example, he notes that, according to Statistics Canada, it is primarily public sector jobs that have been impacted by these job losses in the country. He therefore sees this as a consequence of political rhetoric about reducing the size of government.
In Quebec, this decline of 49,000 jobs in September follows a previous decline of 19,000 in August.
–This report by La Presse Canadienne was translated by CityNews
