In his inaugural address at the new session of Québec’s National Assembly, Premier René Lévesque announced his government’s intention to make occupational health and safety (OHS) a priority issue. This declaration paved the way to the tabling of the bill on occupational health and safety, which in turn led to the creation of, among other things, the Commission de la santé et de la sécurité du travail (CSST), now Commission des normes, de l'équité, de la santé et de la sécurité du travail (CNESST) and later, the IRSST, the first OHS research centre in Canada. These events marked a major turning point in prevention by advancing the principle of eliminating any dangers to workers’ health, safety and physical well-being at the source.