(Quebec) Québec solidaire (QS) MNA Sol Zanetti is asking the Coalition avenir Québec (CAQ) to review school expansion requests. QS says that in 2022, only 45 projects were funded by the provincial government in Quebec, out of 340 requests, and that the CAQ needs to fund more.
“Right now, when school service centres make requests for expansion, it’s not far-fetched. It’s because they see the demographics increasing and they see the needs we have right now,” said Mr. Zanetti, in an interview with The Canadian Press.
“I say [à la CAQ]if you lack income, on the one hand, give up the third link which does not correspond to a real need for mobility in Quebec, then invest in education.
The CAQ government’s Ministry of Education responded in a written statement that “since our arrival in 2018, investments in the construction, expansion and renovation of schools (PQI) have increased from $9 billion to $23 billion, an increase of 150%. This is the catch-up we need to do after the years of Liberal austerity.”
The ministry said it was aware that “infrastructure needs are significant across our entire school network.”
Mr. Zanetti indicated that there will be overcrowding in schools if the CAQ does not review the expansion requests, including in the Capitale-Nationale, the region for which he is the joint leader.
“The children are crammed together and they will end up in trailers,” he said. “There are also some schools that, because they did not have access to expansions, have had to review the pool of children they recruit.”
“Essentially, it harms the very conditions in which our children are going to be educated,” he continued.
The Ministry of Education stated that “more than 270 school projects are underway, whether for construction, expansion or renovation,” including 11 in the National Capital.
Zanetti says Premier François Legault’s promise on Saturday to lay out a plan to bring back civic-mindedness and respect in schools is a diversion. “They’re trying to pretend they’re in charge of education.”
The MP adds that the CAQ is returning to the austerity experienced under the Liberal government between 2014 and 2018.
“They wanted to promise everyone that they could cut taxes for the rich without compromising public services. And now we see that it’s a failure.”