What is the difference between CMEQ and CCQ?

The CMEQ (Corporation of Master Electricians of Quebec) and the CCQ (Quebec Construction Commission) do not play the same role: the CMEQ issues the electrical contractor's licence, the CCQ the competency certificate held by the person working on a construction site.

CMEQ: the professional corporation of master electricians and the government's mandatary for the electrical contractor licence (subclass 16), which allows electrical work to be carried out in Quebec. It prepares, administers and marks the five qualification exams attached to that licence, verifies and controls its members' qualifications, and every master electrician must be admitted to the Corporation and pay its annual dues. Its exam fees and annual dues are published in its « Droits et frais exigibles » schedule, revised every year.

CCQ: the body that administers the construction industry covered by the R-20 Act (labour relations, vocational training, workforce management). It issues the competency certificates — apprentice, journeyperson, occupation — without which no one may work on a covered site, and it administers continuing training and the social benefits set out in the collective agreements (pension, insurance, vacation).

In short: to carry out electrical work as a contractor you need the CMEQ licence; to work as a salaried electrician on a site covered by the R-20 Act you need the CCQ competency certificate. One does not replace the other.

See also the electrician exam preparation program (CMEQ).