Quebec’s Bill 27: What your business needs to know to comply

October 6, 2025, marks an important milestone for Quebec businesses. That’s when the third phase of Bill 27, the Act to modernize the occupational health and safety regime, comes into effect. From that date forward, all organizations in the province^[1], regardless of their sector, must include psychosocial risks (PSRs) in their workplace prevention approach. The goal of this reform is to strengthen mental health protection for all workers. 

Understanding psychosocial risk

Psychosocial risks refer to workplace factors related to how work is organized and the overall atmosphere within a team. These may include:

• Work overload
• Lack of recognition
• Stress
• Harassment
• Sexual violence
• Violence (including domestic or family violence)
• The right to disconnect
• Incivility
• Lack of autonomy

Beginning October 6, 2025, employers must identify, analyze, and prevent these risks as part of their overall health and safety strategy. Failing to comply with these requirements can result in fines and other penalties. Beyond compliance, addressing PSRs can help reduce absenteeism, lower employee turnover, and improve overall productivity.

What are your obligations?

Bill 27 requires employers to treat psychosocial risks with the same importance as physical health and safety risks. Compliance means integrating PSR prevention into every part of your organization’s health and safety management system.

To meet the requirements of Bill 27, organizations must:

• Identify, analyze, and document psychosocial risks and contributing factors, and include them in a written workplace health and safety prevention plan.
• Provide training and awareness programs for managers and employees to better understand, recognize, and prevent PSRs.
• Establish a health and safety committee and appoint a representative, this is required for organizations with 20 or more employees. For organizations with fewer than 20 employees, a health and safety liaison officer must be appointed.
• Maintain a psychological and sexual harassment prevention policy, already required under the Act to prevent and fight psychological harassment and sexual violence in the workplace (in effect since September 2024).

These obligations also extend to remote workers. Employers must therefore identify risks specific to telework arrangements and implement measures to mitigate them.

Work atmosphere diagnosis: insight that strengthens performance

Complying with Bill 27 also presents a strategic opportunity to enhance your organization’s culture and drive improved performance.

Conducting a work atmosphere diagnosis can help you gain a clear picture of the psychosocial risks within your organization. This process not only supports compliance, but can also improve engagement, communication, and organizational resilience.

By understanding the key drivers of mental health and well-being at work, businesses can foster safer, more supportive environments that enhance productivity, collaboration, and competitiveness.

[1] Bill 27 may affect you, even if your organization’s head office is not located in Quebec. The obligations regarding occupational health and safety (OHS) apply to all activities carried out in Quebec and are governed by the CNESST.