Quebec jail guards protest expired contract, growing use of drones to move contraband

MONTREAL — Quebec’s corrections officers protested across the province today to bring attention to their expired collective agreement.

Union members affiliated with the CSN federation gathered outside buildings related to public security, including courthouses.

Their union says its 2,900 members working in 17 provincial detention centres face difficult working conditions linked to street gangs, tensions inside jails, and the growing use of drones to deliver contraband to inmates.

In response to the protest, the Quebec government says it filed an application with the province’s labour tribunal to ensure the union complies with laws during contract negotiations.

The office of Treasury Board Chair France-Élaine Duranceau didn’t want to give details about the application.

But Duranceau’s office says the government has settled with 99 per cent of other public sector workers, whose collective agreements all expired in 2023.

Public workers received salary increases of 17.4 per cent over five years.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 20, 2026.

Lia Lévesque, The Canadian Press