Corps
On January 21, 2021, Québec Ombudsperson Marie Rinfret sent the Committee on Labour and the Economy a brief on Bill 59, Act to modernize the occupational health and safety regime.
The Ombudsperson welcomes this Bill which includes occupational health and safety advances. However, she feels that further changes should be made to the compensation system. She made six recommendations to the Committee on Labour and the Economy:
- Soften the criteria concerning the time limit for producing claims;
- Abolish the six-month time limit provided for in the Bill for reconsidering decisions;
- Allow decisions to be reconsidered after their administrative review;
- Create a register of contaminants and hazardous materials that ensures greater protection for exposed workers;
- Add "real" Québec Pension Plan contributions to the compensation system.
Ms. Rinfret also emphasized the emergence of telecommuting. As she sees it, Bill 59 is an opportunity for vision and for adapting the claims mechanism to this new reality.
