A significant Quebec union group raised both child labour and school violence as concerns at a news conference at the beginning of the year.

The Centrale des syndicats du Québec (CSQ), which has the majority of its members working in the educational field, is worried that violence in schools is a real problem and that such incidents, which are regrettably widespread, even occur in preschools.

Éric Gingras, president of CSQ, is pleading with society at large, not just the school, to send the message that violence will not be tolerated in any form at all times.

The union head requested that Minister of Labor Jean Boulet table his measure to regulate child labour as promised and “not give in” to pressure from companies.

He claimed that some firms recruit children as young as 12 or 13 due to the labour shortage.

Depending on the number of hours spent on it, labour can be harmful to academic progress, according to the CSQ president.