L'expression “vacances de la construction” signifie la période de deux semaines durant laquelle la quasi-totalité des travailleurs œuvrant sur les chantiers de construction bénéficient d'un congé obligatoire depuis 1971...

The term "construction’s holidays" means the two-week period during which almost all workers on construction sites have been on compulsory leave since 1971. This affects just over 120,000 construction workers, but it is estimated that nearly a third of Quebecers+ take leave during this period. The "construction’s holidays" take place during the last two full calendar weeks of July. From 1971 to 1992, the official date of "construction holidays" was determined by decree. However, since 1993, this date has been determined during the negotiation of the collective agreements of the Quebec construction industry. Although the "construction’s holidays" period remained the last two weeks of July, the concept of complete weeks was dropped in 2008, 2009 and 2012. Thus, this is not a shift towards the last week of July and the first week of August as some people may have thought. This choice was simply made to accommodate workers and employers in the construction industry.

The Quebec Construction Commission (CCQ) reports that during this summer period, about a quarter of Quebec's active workforce also takes vacations. By virtue of a government decree, these holidays have been included in the working conditions that employers and workers have agreed. They took effect for the first time in Quebec in 1971.