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tice for the past 25 years since it was formed
in 1989 to represent the interests of builders
in the institutional-commercial and industrial
construction sectors. To date the association
is in contact with nearly 16,000 industry busi-
nesses.
The ACQ evolved from the birth of the Build-
ers Association of Quebec in 1907 which be-
came incorporated in 1957 and later, in 1965,
an affiliate association of construction in
Quebec took root as a federation of small to
mid-sized associations and businesses. These
members grouped into the present day ACQ in
1989, but remain autonomous.
Hamel worked in construction law, civil and
commercial litigation for 16 years before he
joined ACQ in 1999. He is also a member of
ACQ’s ethics committee. Hamel has noticed
many changes in the industry over the past 15
years at ACQ.
The ongoing public inquiry of Quebec’s Char-
bonneau Commission into corruption in the
management of public construction contracts
involving alleged bid rigging has put the prov-
ince’s construction industry in the spotlight.
“This is a very, very peculiar situation in Que-
bec,” said Hamel.
He spoke of how a few ‘bad apples’ in Que-
bec’s construction industry have cast a dis-
criminating view of the industry as a whole.
“It’s been very tough on the climate but,
this being said, there’s still stability in the in-
dustry in general in the economic perspective,
and economical expenditure will remain at
“They have a very clever vision of the industry,
which is key to the credibilityACQhas developed
over the years with partners and government.”
