1.3.2 The Comités sectoriels de la main-d'ouvre

The 30 sectoral workforce committees (CSMO) in Quebec, ^{Footnote 15} similar to the Canadian sector councils, are active in establishing skills standards or professional standards and thus helping to define the demand for initial and continuing education and training in each sector. Firms also tend to use the sectoral committees to circulate information, identify existing and future skills and facilitate links between innovation initiatives or projects (Charest, 2002).

Some CSMOs are unique to Quebec while others were created or exist across Canada, for example in the textile or tourism sectors. The committees that arose out of the 1995 policy on support for industry have developed unequally, since some used to be active under other names before the CSMOs were established. ^{Footnote 16} Most CSMOs started work when Bill 90 became law, ^{Footnote 17} while others were established more recently. ^{Footnote 18} According to Tremblay, Doray and Landry (2000), the time when a sectoral committee is established has an impact on the involvement of this committee in ongoing ALT: "the most recently established committees have not yet diversified their activities" (p. 71; transl.). Against the significant challenge posed by the policy, Charest (2003) emphasizes the rapid and surprising success the CSMOs have achieved: "Who would have believed that, after only a few years of existence, 26 sectoral committees ^{Footnote 19} would consistently mobilize more than 300 private partners in the labour market, in a sustained fashion, for their management in a union-management structure in which everything is based on the voluntary involvement of these 'pioneers' of sectoral involvement" (p. 64; transl.)?

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