Quebec employers cannot ask about religion, sexuality, family plans, or exact age in job interviews
A guide to eight workplace protections most Quebec workers don't know they have — from refusing overtime to protected medical absences.
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Most Quebec workers don't know what their employers are legally forbidden to demand — and the gaps in knowledge often favour the employer. The Act respecting labour standards and Quebec Charter of Human Rights and Freedoms protect workers in eight significant ways.
Employers cannot require a medical certificate for the first three short absences (three consecutive days or less) in a 12-month period. Starting with the fourth short absence or for absences longer than three consecutive days, a certificate can be requested. Most Quebec workers are entitled to two paid days off per year for illness or family reasons after three months on the job.
The standard workweek is 40 hours for most people. Overtime is paid at time and a half, though workers can request time off instead of payment. Workers have the right to refuse overtime exceeding two hours beyond regular daily hours, more than 14 hours in a 24-hour period, or more than 50 hours in a week. If an employer communicates a shift less than five days in advance (unless the job requires availability), workers can refuse — though this rule does not apply if the employer asks a worker to stay later on a shift already being worked, where the two-hour limit applies instead. Exceptions to overtime refusal exist only when refusing would put someone's safety at risk or cause serious damage.
Quebec law mandates a minimum weekly rest period of 32 consecutive hours, with exceptions only for emergency personnel, healthcare workers, and positions governed by professional codes of ethics.
Under the Quebec Charter, employers cannot ask about religion, ethnic origin, sexual orientation, disability, pregnancy, or family plans in job interviews. Asking exact age is generally not allowed unless the information is directly tied to a real job requirement or affirmative action program. Workers cannot be treated differently for refusing to answer impermissible questions.
The source material indicates eight things employers legally cannot make workers do, though the article text cuts off after the fifth point.
The facts
What questions can't Quebec employers ask in job interviews?
Under the Quebec Charter, employers cannot ask about religion, ethnic origin, sexual orientation, disability, pregnancy, family plans, or exact age unless the age information is directly tied to a real job requirement or affirmative action program.
Can Quebec workers refuse overtime?
Yes. Workers can refuse overtime exceeding two hours beyond regular daily hours, more than 14 hours in a 24-hour period, or more than 50 hours in a week, unless refusing would put someone's safety at risk or cause serious damage.
When can employers require a medical certificate for absences?
Employers cannot require a medical certificate for the first three short absences (three consecutive days or less) in a 12-month period. Starting with the fourth short absence or for absences longer than three consecutive days, a certificate can be requested.
How much paid time off are Quebec workers entitled to for illness?
Most Quebec workers are entitled to two paid days off per year for illness or family reasons after three months on the job.
