Five Key Employment And Labour Law Changes Impacting Quebec Employers In 2025

Several recent legislative changes applicable to employers in Quebec were recently announced. These include the new employee threshold for francization requirements, expanded employer obligations to fight and prevent psychological harassment and sexual violence in the workplace, enforcement measures under Law 25, the Act to modernize legislative provisions as regards the protection of personal information, and new rules governing medical certificates that may be requested by employers and insurers from employees.

Here are five legislative changes that employers in Quebec should pay close attention to:

1. Lower registration threshold for francization requirements. As of June 1, 2025, businesses that employ at least 25 people within Quebec for at least six months will be subject to francization requirements under Quebec's Charter of the French Language (current requirements apply only to businesses that have at least 50 employees in the province). As such, these businesses will be required, among other things, to register with the Office québécois de la langue française, carry out an analysis of the language situation of their operations in Quebec, and where applicable, implement a francization program.
2. Employer obligations for preventing and fighting psychological harassment and sexual violence in the workplace. Quebec's Bill 42, which came into force in 2024, expands employer obligations to prevent and fight psychological harassment and sexual violence in the workplace. Employers are now specifically required to prevent psychological harassment and sexual violence perpetrated by clients, suppliers and other third parties and intervene when such situations are brought to their attention. In addition, employers must now update their internal policies to include training programs and a detailed process for reporting and inquiries. Bill 42 also introduces legal presumptions for recognizing workplace injuries and occupational diseases arising from incidents of sexual violence.
3. New whistleblower protections and prohibition of amnesty clauses. Amnesty clauses for sexual misconduct are now prohibited. As such, disciplinary measures imposed on an employee for such misconduct will remain on that employee's disciplinary record. In addition, whistleblowers now benefit from increased protections against reprisals.
4. Protection of personal information. Since the coming into force of Law 25, employers are required to designate a person in charge of protecting personal information and establish policies and procedures regarding such security. In addition, it is now mandatory for consent to be expressly given for collecting sensitive personal information, such as medical information. Additionally, if employers wish to retain employee personal information after its original purpose has been fulfilled, they must anonymize it according to the specific criteria outlined in Quebec's Regulation respecting the anonymization of personal information.
5. New restrictions on medical certificates. Following the passage of Quebec's Bill 68, certain provisions that took effect on January 1, 2025, prohibit employers from requiring a medical certificate for an employee's first three absences of no more than three consecutive days taken in a given year due to illness, with no exception to this rule. Additionally, as of January 1, 2025, employers can no longer request a medical certificate for absences due to familial situations. These measures are specifically intended to reduce the administrative burden on Quebec physicians.

For permission to reprint articles, please contact the bulletin@blakes.com Marketing Department.

© 2025 Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP.

The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.