On Workers Memorial Day, Quebec unions decry 257 deaths on the job

A ceremony held in front of the Quebec City Parliament Building in memory of the 173 workers who died that year. Photo taken on April 28, 2021, in Quebec City. (Jacques Boissinot/The Canadian Press)

On Tuesday, as Quebec commemorates the workers who died in work-related incidents in 2025, unions say they believe the government has taken the wrong approach to prevention.

Every April 28, the International Day of Remembrance for Workers Killed or Injured provides an opportunity to reflect on the progress made in preventing workplace injuries and fatalities, as well as the work still to be done.

The Quebec workers’ health and safety commission, the Commission des normes, de l’équité, de la santé et de la sécurité au travail (CNESST) confirmed that 257 deaths were recorded in 2025, including 166 from occupational diseases and 91 due to workplace accidents.

Unions were quick to point out that the number represents an increase compared to 246 deaths the previous year.

There was also an increase in deaths caused by workplace accidents, rising from 74 to 91.

As for occupational injuries, the CNESST says it recorded 103,928 in 2025, of which 92,875 occurred as part of a workplace accident.

The rest were related to occupational diseases.

The Health Care and Social Assistance sector also reported the highest number of work-related injuries at 21,819, followed by manufacturing at 17,061, and construction at 9,608.

Quebec Labour Minister Jean Boulet welcomed the “progress observed in recent years, [which] is no accident.”

“The modernization of the occupational health and safety system marked an important turning point in better preventing risks in our workplaces. But the work is not done. We must continue our efforts with employers and workers to make prevention a true culture throughout Quebec,“ said Boulet.

”What progress? How can anyone talk about progress? They boast of good results when our results are terrible; they’re bad. And we have more deaths," retorted Luc Vachon, president of the Centrale des syndicats démocratiques (CSD).

The Fédération des travailleurs et travailleuses du Québec (FTQ) and the Confédération des syndicats nationaux (CSN) added that workers in health care and education have limited access to prevention mechanisms compared to workers in other sectors - the Quebec government has insisted that these workplaces need more time to prepare.

“Who is the employer in the public sector? The government. And it’s gambling with the occupational health and safety of its employees. It’s absurd,” said CSN President Caroline Senneville.

Olivier Carrière, secretary general of the FTQ, also argued that, in his latest omnibus bill, Boulet aimed to reduce the number of full-time health and safety workers on construction sites.

“When you weaken prevention, you increase risks. When you reduce the presence of health and safety representatives, you remove essential protection. The government is making choices that put lives at risk,” said Carrière.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on April 28, 2026.