Education Minister Bernard Drainville on Thursday apologized to teachers who may have “been hurt” by comments he made about their salaries.
” I misspoke. It’s a clumsiness, ”dropped the elected caquiste on the sidelines of an activity in Lévis. “If there are people who felt hurt, especially teachers and teachers, yes, I apologize to them,” he added. “I fight to improve the lot of our teachers, I want to help them. »
In interview at Duty Monday, Mr. Drainville declared that it would be risky to compare the salary of teachers with that of deputies of the National Assembly, who grant themselves a 30% salary increase.
“You are really comparing the job of teacher at job deputy? Are you telling me it compares? he had launched.
His statement made the opposition deputies and teachers’ unions jump, who said they saw “contempt” in it or the reflection of a “haughty and condescending attitude”.
On Thursday, the minister said he “understands that some [enseignantes] could have been hurt” by his remarks. “I apologize to them if that was the case, because that was not my intention. My intention was to say: listen, the professions are so different from each other, it becomes difficult to compare, ”he explained.
More details will follow.
To see in video