New Minister of Labour: Security Guards Welcome the Appointment of Mathieu Lebrun
Montréal, October 22, 2026 – The Parity Committee for security guards (CPAS) congratulates Mathieu Lebrun on his appointment as Minister of Labour in the Parti Québécois government. The CPAS views this appointment as a sign of the new government’s commitment to social dialogue, given Mr. Lebrun’s experience. In this context, the CPAS is calling on the Minister to make the modernization of the Act respecting collective agreement decrees a priority. As the Act has not undergone a substantive review since 1996, and given that Bill 27 died on the Order Paper last June, the Act respecting collective agreement decrees now significantly lags behind the evolution of other labour legislation in Québec.
In recent years, the Act respecting collective agreement decrees has faced several threats, prompting widespread opposition. Although these attempts were ultimately unsuccessful, the uncertainty they created among workers and businesses subject to collective agreement decrees weakened the industries concerned. The beginning of a new mandate provides an opportunity to turn the page and establish a stronger and more stable framework for these industries. Across Québec, nearly 90,000 workers in several different industries are covered by collective agreement decrees. These decrees establish specific minimum labour standards that help ensure decent working conditions for workers.
“We warmly congratulate Mr. Lebrun on his appointment and assure him of our full cooperation. The legislative framework governing the working conditions of nearly 90,000 employees in Québec, including 22,000 working in the private security sector, has not been reviewed in 30 years. The new Minister has an opportunity to make history by strengthening the Act for the benefit of both employers and employees. A labour bill would provide an ideal vehicle to achieve this,” said Stéphanie Corriveau, Executive Director of the CPAS.
Clear Requests to the New Government
During the election campaign, the CPAS presented its requests to all political parties. It is reiterating them today to the new Minister of Labour and proposing that the Act respecting collective agreement decrees be modernized around three specific priorities:
- Introduce better transparency and information-sharing mechanisms to reduce undeclared work and ensure fair competition, particularly through the issuance of status letters.
- Make fines truly deterrent, as is the case with the Commission de la construction du Québec, by reviewing and indexing penal fines, whose current amounts are insufficient to deter offenders.
- Speed up the renewal of decrees to provide greater predictability for both businesses and employees.
“Our requests are specific, realistic and do not represent an additional regulatory burden. We hope to meet with the Minister as soon as possible so that we can work together toward the sustainable modernization of the Act, in the interests of workers and businesses that comply with their obligations,” concluded Stéphanie Corriveau.
About the CPAS
The Parity Committee for security guards (CPAS) is a non-profit organization responsible for administering and enforcing the Decree respecting security guards, in accordance with the Act respecting collective agreement decrees. The Act allows certain provisions of a collective agreement, including wages and working conditions, to be extended to an entire sector in order to prevent unfair competition. Originally established through two regional decrees that were merged in 1984, the Decree respecting security guards now provides the framework that promotes fairness, stability and quality working conditions in Québec’s security industry.