Participation in the pension plan is mandatory. For each hour worked in the construction industry in Québec:
- All workers, whether apprentices, journeypersons, or in an occupation, contribute to the plan
- Employers also contribute
Workers therefore participate in a single pension plan even if they change employer, work region, or sector.
Contributions to the plan are determined by the union and employer associations according to provisions set out in the collective agreements governing the construction industry’s four sectors.
The Committee on Employee Benefits in the Construction Industry (CEBCI), composed of representatives from the industry’s union and employer associations, decides on the terms and conditions of the pension plan, in compliance with the Supplemental Pension Plans Act in the province of Québec and the Income Tax Act in Canada. To do this, the CEBCI adopts the modifications required in the Règlement sur les régimes complémentaires d’avantages sociaux dans l’industrie de la construction.
The plan is administered by the Commission de la construction du Québec (CCQ), in compliance with the Règlement sur les régimes complémentaires d’avantages sociaux dans l’industrie de la construction.
The investment committee, composed of representatives from the union and employer associations, monitors application of the investment policy for the money in the pension plan and recommends modifications to this policy or its application. The fund manager is the Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec (CDPQ).
As of December 31, 2022, the plan had more than 200,000 active members (members who worked at least one hour in 2021 or 2022), more than 170,000 inactive members (members who did not work any hours in 2021 and 2022), and more than 102,000 retirees and surviving spouses receiving a monthly pension.
The goal of the plan is to ensure that workers receive a retirement income. It also has provisions for what happens when a worker leaves the construction before retirement age and when a death occurs.
Other life events may have an impact on an individual’s pension plan – for example, an absence due to a severe long-term disability recognized by the Commission des normes, de l’équité, de la santé et de la sécurité du travail (CNESST) or for family or parental reasons, due to a marital or common-law partnership breakdown, or due to a request for seizure.