Supplementary Insurance
Additional contributions by employers in the Civil Engineering and Roads, Industrial and Institutional/Commercial sectors enable workers in some trades, occupations or specialties to receive coverage in addition to basic insurance.
These supplementary insurance plans are:
- Boilermakers (solely in the Industrial and Institutional/Commercial sectors)
- Carpenter-joiners
- Electricians (including those in the Residential sector, but only for this plan)
- Electricians
- Fire-protection mechanics
- Heavy equipment/shovels operators
- Millwrights
- Occupations
- Painters
- Pipe fitters
- Refrigeration mechanics
- Resilient flooring layers (solely in the Industrial and Institutional/Commercial sectors)
- Roofers
- Tinsmiths
- Workers in the trowel trades
- Workers working on electricity transport and distribution lines (solely in the Civil Engineering and Roads sector)
Some supplementary insurance plans are offered to more than one trade. Find out about them below:
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Carpenters-joiners' supplementary plan
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Electrician' supplementary plan
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Linemen's supplementary plan
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Occupations' supplementary plan
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Painters' supplementary plan
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Heavy equipment/shovel operators' supplementary plan
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Trowel trades' supplementary plan
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Pipefitters' supplementary plan
The following occupations, specialties, and trades may obtain coverage from the supplementary insurance plan for carpenter-joiners:
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Carpenter-joiner
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Deep foundation layer
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Flooring specialist sander (carpenter)
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Interior systems installer
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Concrete former (carpenter-joiner)
The following specialties and trades may obtain coverage from the supplementary insurance plan for electricians:
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Electrician (including electrician – line installation)
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Security systems installer
The following occupations, specialties, and trades may obtain coverage from the supplementary insurance plan for line workers. Only hours worked on electricity transmission and distribution lines and communications networks (appendixes E1 to E4 of the civil engineering and roads sector) allow for coverage under this supplementary plan.
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Watchman
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Tensioner operator
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Puller operator
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Apprentice “T” erector
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Apprentice lineman
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General helper (lines)
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Assembler
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Blaster (lines)
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Leader, cable-puller team (transmission, distribution, communications)
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Truck driver (communications network)
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Truck driver (digging)
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Truck driver (lines)
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Operator, heavy machines
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Operator, light and medium-weight machines
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Splicer (underground)
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Splicer fuser (aerial)
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Splicer fuser (underground)
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Trimmer
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Driller (casing)
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Driller (lines)
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Crew leader (post digging and installation)
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Equipment operator – slashers and backhoes (lines)
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Heavy equipment mechanic (lines)
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Lineman – 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th class (transmission, electricity)
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T lineman (communications)
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Fuser (fibre optics)
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Lineman – 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th class (distribution)
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Cable puller
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Compressor operator
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Welder (lines)
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Surveyor (lines)
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Surveyor class 2
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Pile setter
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Heavy equipment operator (lines)
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Carpenter-joiner (lines)
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Reinforcing steel erector (line installation)
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Shovel operator (line installation)
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Crane operator (line installation)
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Crane operator/tower erection (lines)
The following occupations may obtain coverage from the supplementary insurance plan for occupations:
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Surveyor
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Surveyor - class 2
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Blaster
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Blaster - class 2
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Driller
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Driller - class 2
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Labourer (decontamination)
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Labourer (roofing)
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General helper (roofing)
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Labourer, masonry
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Labourer, underground conduits
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Labourer, concrete and asphalt sawing
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Labourer, air-duct maintenance
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Labourer (scaffolding)
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Labourer (initial maintenance and clean-up)
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Boiler driver
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Steam boiler fireman class IV
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Clerk
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Watchman
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Storeman
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Labourer
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General helper
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Pump and compressor operator (including line pump)
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Diver
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Diver – class 2
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Asphalt scraper
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Welder
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Boilermaker welder
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Ironworker welder
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Heavy equipment serviceman
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Labourer (pipeline)
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Tire and body repairman
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Gas fitter
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Underground worker (miner)
To civil engineering and roads sector, the following occupations may obtain coverage from supplementary insurance plan for occupations:
- Labourer (decontamination) – class 2
- Labourer (roofing) – class 2
- General helper (roofing) – class 2
- Labourer, masonry – class 2
- Storeman – class 2
- Labourer – class 2
- General helper -class 2
- Pump and compressor operator (including line pump) – class 2
- Welder – class 2
- Heavy equipment serviceman – class 2
- Labourer (pipeline) – class 2
- Underground worker – class 2
- Tire and body repairman – class 2
The following specialties and trades may obtain coverage from the supplementary insurance plan for painters:
- Painter
- Joint pointer-painter
The following occupations, specialties, and trades may obtain coverage from the supplementary insurance plan for heavy equipment and shovel operators:
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Heavy equipment mechanic
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Spreader operator
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Leveller operator
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Backhoe operator class A
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Roller operator classes A and B
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Tractor operator classes AA, A and B
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Shovel operator classes AA, A and B
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Truck driver classes AA, A, B, and C
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Hoisting equipment operator classes A and B
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Generator operator
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Stationary/portable mixing plant operator
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Heavy equipment welder
The following occupations, specialties, and trades may obtain coverage from the supplementary insurance plan for the trowel trades:
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Bricklayer-mason
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Tile setter
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Cement finisher
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Plasterer
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Joint pointer (plasterer)
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General helper (tile setter)
To civil engineering and roads sector, the following occupation may obtain coverage from supplementary insurance plan for Trowel trades:
- General helper (tile setter) – class 2
The following occupations, specialties, and trades may obtain coverage from the supplementary insurance plan for pipe fitters:
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Plumber
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Heating systems installer
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Pipe welder
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Pipeline welder
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Distribution welder
Insurability conditions
To obtain coverage under the supplementary insurance plan in their trade, workers must first be insured under one of the basic plans A, B, C or D. They must also have accumulated the required amount of supplementary contributions. People insured under plan Z are not offered supplementary coverage.
To learn about the coverage offered by the different insurance plans, you may consult the MÉDIC Construction newsletters under "Publications."
A worker who feels that he or she has the right to insurance coverage different from that granted by the Commission de la construction du Québec may contest this decision. To do this, he or she must contact Customer Services, which will send him or her the appropriate form.
How to be insured
To obtain supplementary coverage, workers must meet the following two conditions:
- Be insured by one of the basic plans A, B, C, or D;
AND
- Accumulate the required amount of supplementary contributions corresponding to this basic plan.
It is important to note that workers accumulate supplementary contributions for each hour worked in the trade concerned. These contributions are determined by the collective agreements and vary by trade, type of site, and sector. In the residential sector, supplementary contributions are paid only into the electricians’ supplementary plan.
Workers who have fewer supplementary contributions than required are insured only by the basic plan; supplementary contributions are added to their supplementary hour reserve.
The table below gives the hours and the amount of supplementary contributions required to benefit from the various supplementary plans during the insurance period of January to June 2025. Each supplementary plan is identified by a letter.
Plan | Identification | A | B | C | D |
Hours | 750 | 600 | 450 | 300 | |
Boilermakers | U | $318 | $254 | $191 | $127 |
Carpenters-joiners | J | $127 | $101 | $76 | $50 |
Electricians | E | $440 | $352 | $264 | $176 |
Fire-protection mechanics | P | $400 | $320 | $240 | $160 |
Heavy equipment/Shovel operators | N | $374 | $299 | $224 | $149 |
Lines/electricity | L | $374 | $299 | $224 | $149 |
Millwrights | M | $338 | $270 | $202 | $135 |
Occupations | O | $341 | $273 | $205 | $136 |
Painters | S | $84 | $67 | $50 | $33 |
Pipe fitters | T | $460 | $368 | $276 | $184 |
Refrigeration mechanics | G | $400 | $320 | $240 | $160 |
Resilient flooring layer | R | $187 | $149 | $112 | $74 |
Roofers | C | $389 | $311 | $233 | $155 |
Tinsmiths | F | $194 | $155 | $116 | $77 |
Trowel trades | B | $134 | $107 | $80 | $53 |
For instance, to obtain coverage under supplementary plan B for roofers (plan BC), a worker must have accumulated 600 hours and $311 in roofer’s supplementary contributions.
Supplementary hour reserve
If a worker has more supplementary contributions than required to obtain supplementary coverage, the surplus is added to that worker’s supplementary hour reserve. If a worker has not accumulated enough contributions during the reference period to obtain the supplementary coverage, the missing amount is taken from the hour reserve, if possible.
Hour credits for training
When a worker takes a training course recognized by the Commission de la construction du Québec (CCQ), supplementary contributions may, under certain conditions, be credited to his or her supplementary hour reserve. The amount of the supplementary contributions paid is calculated according to the rate of supplementary insurance set out in the collective agreements. This amount is paid into the supplementary hour reserve when the hours for training are credited to the worker’s hour reserve.
Loss of supplementary contributions
When workers lose the hours in their hour reserve, they also lose the corresponding contributions in their supplementary hour reserve. The contributions lost by workers are paid into the supplementary insurance fund of their trade and are used to fund that plan.
Premium for Supplementary Plan C Coverage
Workers who pay the premium required to obtain coverage under basic plan C are automatically insured for the supplementary plan C in their trade if they have accumulated the required amount of supplementary contributions.
For example, for the insurance period from January to June 2025 workers who pay the premium required to obtain coverage basic plan C are covered under plan CO for occupations if they have accumulated $205 in supplementary contributions for this trade. Workers who have not accumulated the required $205 are insured under plan C only; they may not pay the missing amount of contributions.