Holidays and vacations

The collective agreements in the industry determine the statutory public holidays and the annual obligatory vacation periods, commonly known as the construction holidays. Every year, the Commission de la construction du Québec (CCQ) publishes the Construction Industry's calendar.

Allowances and payments

Every month, employers send to the CCQ the required allowance for obligatory vacations and statutory public holidays set out in the collective agreements and credited to each worker. These sums amount to 13% of the salary earned in each week of work:

6% for annual vacations
5.5% for statutory public holidays
1.5% for sick leave.

Twice a year, the CCQ pays allowances to workers. A cheque sent by mail at the end of June for amounts credited between July and December of the preceding year and in November for the amounts credited between January and June of the current year.

Statutory Public Holidays 2010-2011

Good Friday (April 2, 2010)
Easter Monday (April 5, 2010)
Fête de Dollard (Journée nationale des Patriotes or Victoria Day) (May 24, 2010)
Labour Day (September 6, 2010)
Thanksgiving Day (11 octobre 2010)
Remembrance Day (November 12, 2010)
Christmas Day (December 25, 2010)
New Year's Day (January 1, 2011)

Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day (Fête Nationale) is a statutory holiday for all workers, with no exceptions. In 2010, the statutory public holiday is June 24.
Canada Day is a statutory holiday for all workers, with no exceptions. In 2010, the statutory public holiday could be July 2.

NB: The next collective agreements will determine the official dates of the construction holidays and statutory public holidays for 2010. For more information, contact your union or employer association.

Obligatory annual vacations: the construction holidays

The well-known construction holiday was made official in 1970 by a government decree and took effect for the first time in Québec in the summer of 1971. This holiday is one of the working conditions to which employers and workers have agreed.

But take note! Although the collective agreements account for the closing of sites during these holidays, they also include certain exceptions.

It is estimated that during this part of the summer, about one quarter of Québec's working population is on vacation! Thus, for more than 35 years, the last two complete civil weeks (Sunday to Saturday) of July have marked the construction holidays. This tradition is slightly modified in 2008 and 2009.

Less well known is the obligatory annual winter vacation. Just as during the summer holiday, construction sites are closed for two weeks during the holiday period around Christmas and New Year's.

Construction holidays

For summer 2010 : July 18, 2010 to July 31, 2010 inclusive.
For winter 2009-2010: December 20, 2009 to January 2, 2010 inclusive

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