Non-compliance report

Non-compliance report

The Commission de la construction du Québec (CCQ) has the mandate to ensure compliance with Act R-20 and the collective agreements of the construction industry. However, workers and employers can play an important role in enforcing compliance by informing the CCQ of irregularities or suspicious situations. All the following situations can be reported with a guarantee of complete confidentiality.

Report a non-compliant situation on a job site

  • On a job site, there are individuals working without a competency certificate, or executing tasks that fall under another trade. Workers from regions other than the one where they reside are present. An employer is not complying with the apprentice-journeyperson ratio on the job site. A contractor does not have an RBQ licence or is not registered with the CCQ.
  • A contractor does not have an RBQ licence or is not registered with the CCQ. A job-site steward, a union representative, a business agent, the leader of a union association or an employer does not seem to be complying with Act R-20.

Report undeclared work

  • When an employer submits a bid that’s much lower than their competitors for a contract, pays their workers in cash, doesn’t declare all hours worked, uses a false invoicing system or sends false documents to the CCQ.

Report bullying, discrimination or threats

  • I want to report bullying, threats, discriminatory measures, retaliatory behaviour, or pressure, such as religion or gender-based discrimination, being bullied by an association, etc.;
  • Being denied employment, being dismissed, being threatened with dismissal, or being subjected to disciplinary action that infringes my right to association.
  • Bullying or threats that are used to slow down or stop activities on a construction site.
  • Initiating a strike, a work slowdown, or an illegal lockout.
  • An employer retaliates (dismissal, suspension, layoffs, etc.) after an employee complains, files a report, or provides information to the CCQ.

Report practises infringing the Regulation respecting the Service de référence de main-d’œuvre de l’industrie de la construction

  • Irregularities in placement, referrals, hiring or layoffs.
  • An employer is forced to hire workers.
  • There is collusion between an employer and an association.
  • Any other actions intended to obstruct the labour referral service in the construction industry.

Here are the main steps in processing non-compliance reports:

  • Receipt of the information

    When the CCQ receives information concerning a situation considered non-compliant on a construction site, it records it in its systems.

    All information communicated, no matter how it is sent (telephone, online form, visit to our regional offices), is registered. This information expands the CCQ’s information bank. 

  • Evaluation of the information received

    The CCQ assesses the information received according to a detailed list of criteria. The more accurate and complete the information communicated is, the easier for the CCQ to evaluate its scope and relevance. Among the very useful information to send is the complete address of the site (civic number, street, city), the sector (residential, institutional and commercial, industrial, or civil engineering and roads), the type of site (expansion, construction, renovation, etc.), the nature of the infraction, and the contact information of the person making the report.

    If the CCQ needs to obtain further details, it contacts the person who reported the event. That is why it is important that this person identifies himself or herself when making the complaint.

    At this stage in the process, other sources of information, such as previous complaints or investigations underway, also provide background for the CCQ’s analysis of the situation.

  • Determination of priority level

    Depending on the conclusions of the evaluation, the CCQ determines the level of priority to assign to the intervention. This decision is based on a number of factors, including:

    • the nature of the alleged infraction 
    • the resources available
    • the probability that the CCQ inspector notices the alleged infringement upon arrival on site

    If applicable, the CCQ determines the proper intervention strategy to adopt to obtain the best results. It may decide to audit an employer’s books, or visit the site concerned, or take another course of action.

  • Intervention

    The CCQ implements its intervention strategy. It acts within the powers granted to it by Act R-20. Depending on the complexity of the situation, an intervention may take several days, or even several weeks, of preparation.

  • Recording of the results

    The CCQ records the result obtained from its intervention. This information will be used to contribute to other auditing and investigation activities in the future.

    To preserve the integrity of its intervention and investigation strategies, the CCQ does not reveal any information on the state and processing of a complaint submitted.

The processing time for a report of non-compliance on a construction site depends on several elements and varies from one file to another. The CCQ makes a commitment to analyze all information that it receives concerning a situation deemed non-compliant. 

It is important to mention that a CCQ inspector does not necessarily visit a site following receipt of a complaint. It is the CCQ’s responsibility to determine the best intervention strategy.

Sending information on a situation deemed non-compliant means contributing to increasing compliance on construction sites!

To make a complaint, click here or contact us by telephone at 514 593-3132 or 1 800 424-3512. You can also go in person to one of our regional offices.