Quebec: licensing and a regulated workforce

The RBQ licence: who may act as a contractor

The Régie du bâtiment du Québec licenses contractors and owner-builders. Its own site confirms three components of holding a licence in good standing: passing the required examinations, maintaining acceptable financial security, and meeting continuing-education obligations — the most recent reference period ended March 31, 2026, with license holders given 90 days from that date to report their hours, per the RBQ's licence page. This page does not state a dollar-value threshold below which no RBQ licence is required, because that specific figure could not be confirmed from a page reachable this session.

The CCQ: a mandatory competency certificate for anyone on a covered site

Separately from contractor licensing, Act R-20 — the Act respecting labour relations, vocational training and workforce management in the construction industry — requires anyone actually working on a covered construction site to hold a competency certificate issued by the CCQ. The CCQ names three categories: an Apprentice Competency Certificate, covering trainees moving through one to five apprenticeship periods of 2,000 hours each; a Journeyman Competency Certificate, for a worker already qualified in a trade; and an Occupation Certificate, for a labourer or specialized labourer, per the CCQ's own page. A Quebec construction business therefore clears two separate regulatory gates — an RBQ licence for the firm, and a CCQ certificate for every worker on site — not one.

Security runs on a hypothec, not a percentage holdback

Quebec is the one province in this cluster with no statutory percentage-based holdback. Its structural equivalent is a legal hypothec, published against the property within 30 days after the work is finished, per Éducaloi. See the Montreal page for how that mechanism plays out on a renovation contract specifically.

A province that grew while its biggest cities declined

BuildForce's 2024 review groups Quebec among the provinces gaining 1%-4% that year, a headline that sits on top of real declines in Montreal (-2.5%), Québec City (-6.2%) and Drummondville (-17.0%), offset by strong gains including Trois-Rivières at +19.6%, per BuildForce Canada. A firm reading only the provincial figure would miss that most of Quebec's largest construction markets actually contracted that year.

Common questions

Does an RBQ licence replace the need for a CCQ competency certificate?

No — they answer different questions. The RBQ licenses the contracting business itself; the CCQ certifies the individual workers who perform the work under Act R-20. Both apply on the same project, to different parties.

If Quebec gained 1%-4% in construction employment in 2024, why did Montreal and Quebec City decline?

Because the provincial figure is a net number. Trois-Rivières' 19.6% gain and other regional growth offset real declines in Montreal, Quebec City and Drummondville — the province-wide gain and the big-city declines are both real and both correctly reported.

Takeaways

• • Quebec runs construction through two regulators: the RBQ licenses contracting firms, and the CCQ certifies individual workers under Act R-20 — a firm needs both to operate legally.
• • Quebec's construction-payment security is a 30-day legal hypothec, not a percentage holdback — structurally different from every other province in this cluster.
• • Quebec's 1%-4% provincial gain in 2024 sat on top of real declines in Montreal and Quebec City; see the Quebec City page for that city's own figures in full.