Critics slam Quebec and Montreal Economic Institute for inflated strike statistics in Quebec
In a recent turn of events, the Confération des syndicats nationaux (CSN) has raised concerns over the accuracy of data regarding labour disputes in Quebec. The concern stems from a significant discrepancy between Statistics Canada's data and that of the Quebec government.
According to the Quebec government's site, there were 208 work stoppages in 2024. However, a report by MEI senior policy analyst Gabriel Giguère showed a starkly different picture, with work stoppages skyrocketing from under 100 from 2017 to 2020 and then jumping to 759 in 2024. This discrepancy has left Francois Énault, CSN vice president, questioning the reliability of the data.
Énault found it strange that Labour Minister Jean Boulet is using StatsCan numbers when they have numbers from his own ministry. He also expressed concern over the data collection and processing methods used by Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC). Specifically, ESDC's Employment Insurance (EI) administrative data had duplicates because some claims were processed manually across different operating systems. This caused overestimations in certain benefit claim counts, including those related to family caregiver benefits and other types of benefits, which likely affected the accuracy of work stoppage data reported for Quebec.
To address this issue, ESDC conducted a revision of their data to identify and remove duplicates, ensuring each claim was counted only once. Although this revision improved the accuracy of the data, past fiscal year results were not retroactively adjusted, meaning comparisons to earlier years remain problematic. However, moving forward, these methodological improvements have minimized errors and allowed for more accurate reporting and comparisons in future EI and related statistics reports.
The CSN is frustrated because Minister Boulet has repeated the MEI numbers, despite the Quebec government's numbers being much lower. Énault questioned who benefits from restricting the right to strike, stating that it is not workers. He also expressed concern over employer lobbies attacking the right to strike by any means necessary, even if it means putting their credibility on the line with false data.
Stats Can's data comes from ESDC, which obtains its information from the Quebec Labour Ministry. The CSN wants to set the record straight to prevent anti-union groups from using the erroneous information in the MEI report. Énault stated that the unions understand that strikes are, at times, unpopular, but they are used to put pressure on the government for a good collective agreement.
In response to the CSN's inquiry, Statistics Canada removed data concerning labour disputes in Quebec. A Stats Can spokesperson, Cristobal D'Alessio, acknowledged that the numbers were removed from the government site. The CSN is hopeful that the data will be recalculated to reflect the true picture of labour disputes in Quebec.
Renaud Brossard, MEI communications vice-president, stated that Statistics Canada remains Canada's source of reference. However, Francois Énault, CSN vice president, stated that there has not been an explosion in the number of labour disputes in Quebec, contrary to the MEI report's suggestions. Énault found it strange that Minister Boulet is using StatsCan numbers when they have numbers from his own ministry, which they consider more reliable.
- The recent controversy over labour dispute data in Quebec has extended to the realm of politics, with the Confération des syndicats nationaux (CSN) questioning the reliability of Statistics Canada's data due to significant discrepancies with that of the Quebec government.
- As the concerns about data accuracy escalate, the CSN has expressed particular concern over the data collection and processing methods used by Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC), believing that these methods have led to overestimations in certain benefit claim counts and affected the accuracy of work stoppage data reported for Quebec.
