Quebec premier takes heat for paying students to 'renovate their basement'

Workers on a construction site, Thursday, Sept. 19, 2024, in Quebec City. The Quebec government is facing criticism for a program meant to boost the number of construction workers in the province that has fallen far short of its target. (Jacques Boissinot, The Canadian Press)

The Quebec government is facing criticism for a program that paid students to learn a construction skill -- as less than half the graduates are certified to work in the industry.

After it was recently revealed the program fell far short of its target, Parti Quebecois Leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon on Tuesday accused the government of creating an "all-inclusive, all-paid package" that students can use "to go and renovate (their) cottage or renovate (their) basement."

Last fall, Quebec Premier Francois Legault announced a new, $300-million fast-track program to train between 4,000 and 5,000 new construction workers, in an attempt to address an ongoing labour shortage. Students are paid $750 a week to attend accelerated training programs lasting four to six months.

But the program doesn't include a requirement to work in the industry after graduation, and nearly one year later, Quebec's construction commission reports that just 1,251 of the program's graduates are working in construction, including 1,017 who are new to the industry.

To date, 3,329 students have registered for the fast-track program, and 2,551 have graduated with a diploma, according to the office of Labour Minister Jean Boulet. That means less than half of graduates have been certified by the construction commission to work in the field.

In Quebec's legislature on Tuesday, Legault defended the program, saying the "vast majority" of students will end up working in construction. But he acknowledged there are "a few people who took the opportunity to take courses without having the intention of working in the industry."

A spokesperson for Boulet confirmed that incoming students now have to submit a cover letter to prove their interest in the field.

St-Pierre Plamondon on Tuesday called the program a "fiasco" from a "spendthrift" government that "lacks rigour and preparation."

Liberal Leader Marc Tanguay said it was a "poorly designed program that caused millions (of dollars) in waste."

However, Boulet's office said graduates have until December 2025 to obtain certificates from the commission, meaning the current numbers aren't final. And workers don't have to be certified for every type of construction work.

"A worker carrying out residential renovations does not need to obtain a work permit to do their job," the commission said in a statement.

The fast-track program, which launched in January, was meant to boost numbers of five types of construction workers: carpenters, heavy equipment operators, excavator operators, tinsmiths and refrigeration engineers. The first cohort finished their studies in April.

On Tuesday, Legault said it was "too early to evaluate the results" of the construction program. "We've been able to implement programs quickly, without too much bureaucracy," he said. "Let's be careful before throwing out any numbers."

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 9, 2024.