(Montreal) Prime Minister François Legault came out publicly on Saturday to defend Private Drainville.
Mr. Legault defended his Minister of Education in a message posted on his Facebook page.
Bernard Drainville tabled Bill 23 on Thursday. In particular, he wants to give himself full power to appoint the directors general of school service centers, to overturn their decisions or to dismiss them.
According to the Prime Minister, Mr. Drainville “is giving a big push” to make the network more efficient. He considers it essential “to be able to demand management and accountability agreements from service centres”.
The cold reception of the bill by the teaching community and the other political parties seemed to have convinced the Prime Minister to jump into the fray.
“Of course it would be easier not to change anything, not to disturb each other’s habits. Bernard will be criticized. But he has the courage to push through and succeed. We will support it unreservedly. We are going to do this for our young people. »
The Central Trade Unions of Quebec (CSQ) welcomed with “great caution” Bill 23, which was not the subject of any prior consultation of the actors of the education sector, according to it. The Autonomous Federation of Education (FAE) for its part denounced the obligation to impose certain continuing training on teachers, a “frontal attack on their autonomy”.
Among the other aspects of the bill that Mr. Legault defended, let us note the creation of a National Institute of Excellence in Education which would make it possible “to extend to the entire network the best practices [et] the best ways to help students succeed.
Mr. Legault also took the opportunity to criticize previous governments. “When we arrived in 2018, there was already a lack of teachers and professionals. Schools had been neglected. The teachers did not get the salaries they deserved. And school elections were ignored by 95% of Quebecers,” he wrote.