The President and CEO of the Commission de la construction du Québec, Diane Lemieux, announced yesterday that she will end her mandate on September 15, 2023. She will therefore be stepping down from the position more than 12 years after she was appointed to head the CCQ.
Under Lemieux’s leadership, the CCQ has gone through profound changes at every level of the organization.
“I’m leaving with the sense of a duty accomplished, but not without a twinge of regret at leaving an organization that I have loved deeply: an organization that has evolved in the right direction. The construction industry is going through a period of great prosperity, and the CCQ can count on a solid foundation on which to continue its evolution and transformation. I would like to pay tribute to the exceptional contribution and unfailing devotion of all of the CCQ’s teams, whose determination to serve the construction industry well I witnessed every day.” - Diane Lemieux, President and CEO of the CCQ
Ethics and compliance: fostering fair competition and a healthy work climate
Lemieux’s early years at the CCQ were marked by the Charbonneau Commission, which brought to light practices and behaviours throughout the construction industry in need of profound transformation.
As she implemented solid ethics and compliance mechanisms within the CCQ, Lemieux also professionalized and rigorously oversaw audit and investigation operations and developed collaborations with other organizations, including UPAC. The result is a much more effective presence that contributes to encouraging fair competition and a healthy climate on construction sites.
More women on construction sites and sustained efforts to include groups underrepresented in construction
Lemieux has been able to mobilize the industry around an issue close to her heart: making room for women. Under her leadership, the target of 3% women in the construction workforce was achieved. Furthermore, the number of women working on construction sites has continued to rise since adoption of the Programme d’accès à l’égalité des femmes dans l’industrie de la construction (PAEF) in 2015.
In addition, she has engaged in a constructive dialogue with First Nations and Inuit communities and foregrounded the importance of an industry more open to diversity both on construction sites and in corporate offices. Along with creation of the new Nunavik region in the labour relations regime, historic agreements have been signed with the Mohawk community of Kahnawake.
Lemieux also instigated the implementation of the Ligne relais-construction, devoted at first to providing support for victims of sexual assault in the industry. It has since evolved into a support service for all cases of harassment, intimidation, and discrimination.
Stronger administration and governance
Under Lemieux’s leadership, the CCQ greatly improved its governance and administration. The board of directors has access to information, analyses, and data to support enlightened decisions. Audits of the organization’s financial statements by the Vérificateur général du Québec are extremely reassuring with regard to its financial position and practices, making it possible to avoid levy increases for the industry’s employers and workforce.
Since 2015, the CCQ has adopted three strategic plans that set the organization’s priorities and determined the objectives, indicators, and targets for all of the CCQ’s teams.
Development of norms to boost the industry
In recent years, the CCQ has spearheaded and had adopted major regulatory changes, notably in favour of women, but also to confront labour shortages, including introducing the possibility of work-study programs on construction sites. Other changes have also concerned compensation, situation letters, and certain construction trades.
Focus on the client experience
For a number of years, the CCQ’s teams have been working tirelessly to improve accessibility to its services, always aiming for the highest quality standards in its service delivery. The client experience is at the top of the list of priorities. In recent years, many initiatives have been prioritized, including creation of a complaints office, improvements to tools and processes for the call centre teams, and implementation of a forum on communications and client service with the industry’s associations.
Surveys conducted with the clientele indicate an increased level of satisfaction with regard to the services offered by the CCQ.
Under Lemieux’s leadership, the CCQ has made a major transition to digital, which started with the makeover of ccq.org and will continue in coming years with major transformations to and modernization of the online services to enable more autonomy and self-service.
Interim CEO and future appointment
François Charrette, Vice-President, Legal Affairs and Secretary General, will step in as interim CEO. According to the Act Respecting Labour Relations, Vocational Training and Workforce Management in the Construction Industry, commonly known as Act R-20, the Conseil des ministres must decide on the appointment of the CCQ’s CEO.
About the Commission de la construction du Québec
The Commission de la construction du Québec, created in 1987, is responsible for application of the Act Respecting Labour Relations, Vocational Training and Workforce Management in the Construction Industry (Act R-20), which governs the industry. It offers numerous services to the clienteles that it serves, including all aspects of vocational training, management of the workforce, and application of the construction industry’s collective agreements.