Under which of the following situations would an individual generally be considered an employee in Québec?

• A. An individual generally has the status of employee if the person who provides the work assigns the worker specific tasks, explains the work to be accomplished and the responsibilities to be assumed and provides training or upgrading.
• B. The worker negotiates own rate and works as an independent contractor
• C. The worker has multiple clients and manages own schedule
• D. The worker is paid by commission with no supervision

Answer: (A)

In Québec, whether someone is an employee hinges on the level of control and dependency the payer has over the worker. The strongest signal of employee status is when the person paying for the work assigns specific tasks, explains how the work should be done, outlines the responsibilities, and provides training or upgrading. This shows ongoing supervision and integration into the payer’s operations, with the worker relying on that relationship to perform the job—typical features of an employee.

If a worker negotiates their own rate and operates as an independent contractor, or if they have multiple clients and manage their own schedule, or if they’re paid by commission with no supervision, these factors reflect greater autonomy and less ongoing direction, which align more with independent contractor status.

Therefore, the situation in which the payer directs and trains the worker, assigning tasks and responsibilities, best fits employee status in Québec.