“The Practice of Employing Teenagers and Children in Quebec: A Controversial Phenomenon”

Published on 05/12/2023 at 16:21
Reading time: 2 mins

TYou can’t work at the checkout, you’re only 12,” says Hans, 15, a cashier at a supermarket in eastern Montreal to a young boy. The latter defends himself. “I’m 13,” he grumbles, while stacking baskets near Hans’ cash register, before walking away pushing shopping carts. ” I like my job. It’s my first jobine (job). I started last month and I’m there about fifteen hours a week, ”says the young boy, all smiles. Hans, who would be given less than his age, also enjoys his work. “Here, there are not only young people. Adults are there to control us and give us advice,” he says. And the salary? The teenager slumps, looks right, left to make sure no one is listening. “It’s only the minimum wage, 15 piastres (Canadian dollars) per hour (equivalent to 10 euros, editor’s note). »

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