Restaurateurs balk after learning they risk having to lay off staff after the new bill regulating youth work is introduced, while parents lament improper interference.
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“It’s sad for [les jeunes] who wanted to work to earn some money and it’s going to give us a headache. We don’t have adult resumes who want to work full-time!” Pest Catherine Bergeron, owner of Yuzu Sushi Beauport-Nord, in Quebec.
Labor Minister Jean Boulet is presenting his bill on Tuesday that would prevent young people under the age of 14 from getting a job and limit the number of hours worked on weekdays to 10 for 14-16 year olds.
For Ms Bergeron, who has been employing 13-year-olds for years, it’s quite a problem looming on the horizon as labor shortages are already hitting the industry hard.
“We take the time to train them, they do an impeccable job, but we have to fire them for no reason. With the few employees we have, it’s already difficult to get there,” complains Managing Director Jessica Beaudoin-Maltais.
Other restaurant chains, such as Benny & Co., have signaled they would abide by the new law if it passes, as it doesn’t particularly affect them.
An asset to grow
Mélanie Dumont-Lévesque, mother of a young teenager who started working at a Tim Hortons in Cowansville at age 13, also opposes the CAQ’s proposed bill.
“We’re going to deprive young people of an advantage that allows them to become more autonomous and come out of isolation if we keep complaining that they’re always on their screens,” she laments.
During a report on young people at work last February, Ms Dumont-Lévesque told the Journal that her son Elyot has come of age thanks to his odd job while he is valued and gaining confidence.
“That’s the kind of decision that should be made within parenting, in an agreement between parent and child. The government shouldn’t have to interfere,” she said.
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