Quebec creates committee to look into work-related cancers

The work of the occupational oncology committee should start in the fall, Labour Minister Jean Boulet said on Friday.

The task of this committee will be to determine whether the worker suffers from an occupational oncological disease. To do this, it must report its findings regarding the worker's functional limitations, attacks on his physical integrity and his tolerance to the pollutant.

The committee must also express its opinion on the relationship between the occupational disease and the risks associated with work and the tasks performed by the worker.

Minister Boulet stressed that the establishment of this committee “will play a prominent role in determining the causal relationship between work and the development of cancer, and therefore, in determining eligibility for compensation for occupational disease.

“This represents an important step in expanding access to compensation for occupational diseases, particularly in relation to the increasing number of cancer cases among firefighters,” the minister added.