The government says the budget has increased, but critics and unions say there are fewer classes available because of a limit on staffing.
QUEBEC — At least 150 members of the CSQ union have lost their jobs in connection with the reduction in francization services in Quebec, 46 others saw their tasks affected by the reduction in supply, a union spokesperson says.
Accused by the opposition of causing the closure of dozens of French-language classes, the Legault government says instead the francization budget has increased.
But it is the budgetary rules that are in question, the union said.
“Within two weeks, the (francization) groups will close and the crisis will begin, we hope to be able to resolve the impasse, we ask the government to remove this constraint,” said the president of the CSQ, Richard Bergevin, in an interview with La Presse Canadienne on Thursday.
During question period on Thursday, Premier François Legault said his Coalition Avenir Québec government increased the francization budget from $217 million to $251 million, from 2023 to 2024, including $104 million for school service centres.
On the other hand, the budgetary rules issued by the Ministry of Education cap the number of full-time equivalents, that is to say the number of full-time positions, at what it was in 2021, in the midst of a pandemic.
“Exceptionally, for the 2024-2025 school year, a limit is set for staff and budgets based on the 2020-2021 school year,” lamented Parti Québécois MNA Pascal Paradis.
“Will the minister (of the French Language Jean-François Roberge) deny his own ministry, which announced cuts?
The leader of the official opposition, Liberal Marc Tanguay, argued that “nothing is going right” in francization and that the supply curve no longer corresponds to demand.
But according to Legault, it is the school service centres that are causing the problem, because they spent their budget for the entire year in six months.
Roberge said new francization classes open every week and that more people will be francized this year compared to last year.
“Between June 1 and Sept. 30, 2023, last year, the school service centres francized 13,591 people and this year, in 2024, in the school service centres, from June 1 to Sept. 30, they francized 32,040 people,” Roberge argued in the House.
“What a deplorable cut!” he quipped.
“I would like the minister to tell me, in Quebec, currently, where are the famous classes that open every week, which he spoke about earlier, where are the courses,” asked Paradis.
Liberal MNA André A. Morin gave numerous examples of service reductions throughout the territory.
“What does (the minister) say to the 1,400 new arrivals who will have to find a plan B for lack of service? What does he say to the Marguerite-Bourgeoys school service centre, which is cutting French classes due to lack of budget? What does he say to the Eastern Townships School Board, which is sounding the alarm over lack of funding? What does he say to the 329 learners registered at the CSS des Découvreurs who will no longer have access to training this fall?”