What is a temporary assignment (after a work injury)?

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General information, not legal advice. A temporary assignment is when your employer offers you other work (or your own job with changes) after a work injury, even if your injury is not yet healed or stabilized. It is possible when you cannot carry out the usual tasks of your job or keep up the pace, intensity or workload because of your injury, and it applies as long as you are not able to do your job or a suitable job. Your employer can only assign you to it if the treating health professional agrees, and you can contest it if you believe it does not suit you.

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Key facts

Who proposes it: The employer, as soon as the injury appears; it is only possible with the agreement of the treating health professional.
Pay during the assignment: Salary and benefits identical to your job if the assignment follows your usual schedule. If the schedule is reduced, the employer chooses among the payment options described on the CNESST page.
Duration: As long as you are not able to do your job or a suitable job because of your condition.
Contesting with no committee or representative: Request sent to the CNESST: a decision is made within 20 days of the request.
Refusal without valid reason: The CNESST may suspend or reduce the income replacement indemnity.

Your procedure, step by step

Start the official procedure Official page: Temporary assignment (CNESST) (opens in a new tab)https://www.cnesst.gouv.qc.ca/fr/prevention-securite/milieu-travail-sain/retour-travail/assignation-temporaire

Understand what it is: it is work offered by the employer during your recovery, different from what you were doing when the injury happened. It can be the same job with fewer tasks or an adapted workload, pace or intensity, another existing job in the company, or a set of various tasks.
Your employer must describe the planned position, the tasks, the workload, the employment conditions and the work environment to the treating health professional. The employer uses the form "Assignation temporaire d'un travail" (temporary assignment of work), for example in MonEspace CNESST.
The treating health professional must agree. They assess three things: that you are reasonably able to do this work, that the work does not pose a danger to your health, safety and physical and psychological integrity because of your injury, and that it is favourable to your rehabilitation. Your employer then sends the form to the CNESST, whether the assignment is authorized or not.
If you do the assignment on your usual schedule, your employer must pay you the same salary and benefits as for your job. If the schedule is reduced, the employer chooses one of the payment options set by the CNESST and states it on the form.
You have an obligation to carry out the assignment. If you fail or refuse, without a valid reason, to do the work assigned, the CNESST may suspend or reduce your income replacement indemnity.
If you disagree, you can contest it even if the treating health professional gave a favourable opinion: if you believe you are unable to do the work, that it poses a danger to your health, safety or integrity, or that it is not favourable to your rehabilitation. Go to the health and safety committee of your company or the prevention representative, and to your employer. If there is no committee or representative, send your request to the CNESST.
The assignment ends when you are able to do your job or a suitable job. For a question about your file, your indemnity or your accident, contact the CNESST.

Your progress is kept on this device only: nothing is sent to Demande au Québec. Some steps only apply in certain situations: skip the ones that do not concern you.

General information drawn from official sources. It does not replace legal, medical or financial advice. For your situation, contact the organization concerned or a professional.

Sources

Assignation temporaire (CNESST)
Démarche pour l’assignation temporaire d’un travail (CNESST)
Contestation d’une assignation temporaire (CNESST)

Checked on October 6, 2026. Rules, deadlines and fees can change: always confirm on the official page above. Demande au Québec is an independent website, not a government site.

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