Public servants concerned about possible asbestos at Montreal’s Guy-Favreau Complex

People walk through the barren atrium of Complex Guy Favreau. (Ryan Remiorz/The Canadian Press)

The union representing 2,500 federal public servants working at the Guy-Favreau Complex in downtown Montreal is demanding to see the full test reports regarding the possible presence of asbestos in the building.

Although the federal government has stated that recent tests showed no presence of asbestos, the Quebec branch of the Public Service Alliance of Canada is not willing to take its word for it and is insisting on access to the full reports on the matter.

The potential presence of asbestos has become a cause for concern among federal civil servants since, at the end of March, another union, the Association of Justice Lawyers, revealed that an employer had informed it that the Commission des normes, de l’équité, de la santé et de la sécurité du travail (CNESST) “established that exposure to asbestos at the Guy-Favreau complex in Montreal was linked to a serious health problem suffered by an employee of the Department of Justice who had worked at the complex.”

PSAC-Quebec is holding an information session for its members at the Guy-Favreau complex on Wednesday afternoon.

In an interview, PSAC-Quebec regional executive vice-president Sébastien Paquette said he hoped that, in the meantime, his members could continue to work from home.

The Canada Labour Code stipulates that “an employee has the right to be informed of all known or foreseeable hazards in their workplace and to receive the information, instruction, training and supervision necessary to protect their health and safety.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on April 15, 2026.