Quebec government downplays impact of construction strike, talks continue

QUEBEC – The Quebec government is downplaying the effects of the province’s ongoing construction strike as negotiations continue in an effort to strike a deal.

The government says it’s difficult to put a dollar figure on the strike’s cost.

Labour Minister Agnes Maltais said Tuesday projects haven’t been cancelled, just delayed.

“Many big projects have been delayed for a week,” she said, pointing out that road construction crews are about to return to work.

She dismissed speculation that the strike is costing $1 billion per week as “simplistic.”

The figure was floated by the opposition Coalition party on Monday.

Maltais says the construction sector is worth about $50 billion annually and that sum can’t just be divided by 52 weeks to estimate losses.

Premier Pauline Marois said Monday she is prepared to give bargaining more time.

She has maintained a negotiated settlement is preferable to a legislated return to work.

The premier named a special mediator on Monday to resolve an impasse in negotiations between construction companies and unions representing workers in the industrial, commercial and residential sector.

A tentative agreement was reached Monday in negotiations covering the civil engineering and road construction sector.