This text is part of the special section Unionism
Hundreds of francization classes have had to be canceled since the start of the school year in different school service centers (CSS) due to a change in budgetary rules. In addition to denouncing the abandonment of newcomers deprived of French lessons, the Centrale des syndicats du Québec (CSQ) fears what will happen next, in a context of “budgetary rigor”.
Around 300 francization teachers affiliated with the CSQ have been affected in recent weeks, according to the union's estimates: some have lost their jobs altogether, while others have been reassigned elsewhere, but with fewer hours.
The reason: funding for francization courses will not keep up with demand, which has exploded in recent years.
The Minister of Immigration, Francisation and Integration Jean-François Roberge categorically denies having reduced the funds, since the government has once again allocated $104 million to francization in the CSS, like last year . However, the funds will only be granted to them up to the amount of their 2020-2021 clientele, whereas at the time, “there was COVID, immigration was on pause and there was no almost no francization,” indicates the president of the CSQ, Éric Gingras.
The unionist is first outraged by the message that this situation sends to immigrants who are trying to integrate into Quebec and be full citizens. He is also concerned about the loss of expertise that could result.
“Adult education and francization are a fairly specialized niche in Quebec,” he explains. Losing several hundred teachers like that is major. »
“We would expect the government to take good care of its teachers, in the context of the shortage we are experiencing,” continues Mr. Gingras. The reality is that these teachers are not going to fill elementary or secondary teaching positions. Their job is to Frenchify. These are people who are going to leave for something else and who we are going to lose, in a context where we have great needs in francization. »
Taken by surprise
The CSQ also deplores the surprise effect generated by the government decision. First within the CSS, who relied on last year's figures to open groups and hire, but also among teachers, who had the rug pulled out from under them.
As for the motivations behind these budgetary choices, they are no mystery to the president of the CSQ. “You shouldn’t search from noon to 2 p.m.,” he says. There is an order from the Treasury Board to all ministries to replay in the austerity film… We have already acted in this film and it never ends well. »
For Éric Gingras, this is only the beginning, unfortunately. He also denounces the freeze on the hiring of support employees in the school network, as well as the cuts in the budgets for the renovation of college buildings and in the school network, while many of these buildings are “obsolete”.
“What’s it going to be like, tomorrow or the day after?” » asks the union leader.
“We will be vigilant,” he adds. We have a government that always asks us to be positive when we talk about the education network… But it doesn't give us anything to be positive when it comes with news like that. »
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