HR glossary · Safety, conduct and hours

CNESST (Quebec)

Quebec's agency for labour standards, pay equity, workplace safety and workers' compensation. It handles complaints, inspections and injury claims.

Also called: Commission des normes, de l'équité, de la santé et de la sécurité du travail, Quebec labour standards commission

What CNESST (Quebec) means

CNESST is the Quebec government agency that looks after most of the rules on working conditions in the province. It covers labour standards (minimum wage, hours, holidays, vacation, termination), pay equity, workplace health and safety, and compensation for workplace accidents and occupational diseases.

That makes it different from most other provinces, where employment standards, safety enforcement and workers' compensation are usually handled by separate bodies. In Quebec, the same agency takes a worker's labour standards complaint, investigates a safety complaint and decides an injury claim.

If you employ people in Quebec, you will deal with CNESST when you register for and pay workplace injury insurance, when a worker is hurt, and if an employee files a complaint about pay, harassment or another labour standard.

How it works

Labour standards: CNESST publishes and enforces the minimum standards in the Act respecting labour standards. As of November 2026, the general minimum wage is $16.60 an hour (since 1 May 2026), or $13.30 for employees who receive tips. Overtime is owed after 40 hours a week, at 1.5 times regular pay. Employees must be paid at intervals of 16 days or less (one month for managers and contract workers).

Complaints: employees can complain to CNESST if they believe a labour standard was not respected. Time limits for labour standards complaints range from 45 days to 2 years from the event. A psychological or sexual harassment complaint must be filed within 2 years of the last incident.

Health and safety: CNESST administers the Act respecting occupational health and safety and handles safety complaints. It also publishes prevention guidance, for example on preventing workplace violence.

Workers' compensation: CNESST insures employers and pays benefits to injured workers. For 2026, the maximum insurable earnings per worker is $103,000, so a worker's pay above that amount does not attract premiums. If harassment causes a psychological injury confirmed by a doctor, CNESST advises the worker to file both a harassment complaint and a work accident claim.

Is it the same in every province?

CNESST covers Quebec only. Other provinces split these roles between an employment standards office, a safety regulator and a workers' compensation board, such as the WSIB and Ministry of Labour in Ontario.

Example: A new café in Sherbrooke

Isabelle opens a café in Sherbrooke and hires 4 baristas who receive tips. She checks CNESST's minimum wage page and sets their rate at no less than $13.30 an hour, the rate for employees who receive tips. She pays every two weeks, within the 16-day limit.

She registers for workplace injury insurance, writes a harassment prevention and complaint policy with a section on sexual behaviour, and posts her job offers in French. When a barista burns her hand on the steam wand and misses two shifts, Isabelle helps her get care and follows CNESST's process for the work accident claim.

Free WCB calculators

Staffkin's free WCB premium calculator includes CNESST's 2026 maximum insurable earnings, so you can estimate your premium from your payroll and rate.

Estimate your WCB premium

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Questions about CNESST (Quebec)

What does CNESST stand for?

Commission des normes, de l'équité, de la santé et de la sécurité du travail. It covers labour standards, pay equity, health and safety, and workers' compensation in Quebec.

What is the minimum wage in Quebec?

$16.60 an hour since 1 May 2026, or $13.30 for employees who receive tips. It changes each 1 May.

How long does an employee have to complain to CNESST?

Labour standards complaint deadlines range from 45 days to 2 years depending on the issue. Harassment complaints must be filed within 2 years of the last incident.

What is the CNESST maximum insurable salary for 2026?

$103,000 per worker.

Official sources

General information for Canadian employers, not legal advice. Rules differ by province and territory and change over time, so check with your provincial employment standards office (or the federal Labour Program if you are federally regulated) before you rely on it. See employment standards by province.

Checked against official sources on 4 November 2026.