PLQ Congress | The Liberals want a professional order for teachers

(Lévis) Not without debate, activists from the Liberal Party of Quebec (PLQ) spoke out on Sunday for the creation of a professional order of teachers.

This idea, often mentioned in public debate, but never brought to fruition, was brought to the forefront at the PLQ congress in Lévis, by the controversy at the Bedford school. A core of teachers had created a toxic climate there and blocked access to specialized services for students in difficulty, revealed an investigation by the Ministry of Education in October.

Candidate to succeed Dominique Anglade, the former president of the Federation of Chambers of Commerce of Quebec, Charles Milliard, was the first to speak out for the creation of such an order of teachers two weeks ago.

“The teaching profession is a very complex quilt and the creation of an order will require a lot of negotiations,” he admitted on Sunday. However, this is essential to guarantee “the conformity of the school curriculum” across the province.

In turn, his opponent, MP Frédéric Beauchemin, showed himself open to the creation of such an order depending on “what structure it would take”.

However, there are already several mechanisms to force teachers to respect their professional obligations and punish them if this is not the case, recalled an activist on the microphone during the debates. Including “parents, school service centers, school boards”.

A position supported by leadership candidate Marc Bélanger who deemed a teachers’ order “unnecessary”. Because unlike other professions governed by professional orders, such as lawyers, teachers have supervisors “to whom you can contact if you have a complaint”.