On May 31, Minister Roberge, you awarded the title of Distinguished Member of the Order of Excellence in Education to Professor Emeritus Lucie Sauvé, a title granted because of her fundamental achievements in the field of environmental education (EE). Beyond this symbolic gesture, we hope that such recognition will now result in a real ministerial commitment to offer genuine environmental education to all Quebecers.
Indeed, the urgency to act in education is becoming more and more acute. This is evidenced not only by the latest IPCC report, but also the most recent (2020) report by the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES), as well as the early date of Earth Overshoot Day, occurred on July 29 in 2021. So many other signals testify to the urgency of a profound societal transformation in which education must participate.
Remember that in September 2019, a few days before what was to become the largest demonstration in Canadian history, we presented to you a proposal for a “Quebec strategy for environmental and eco-citizenship education”. This proposal to be debated had moreover received the support of the three opposition parties earlier the same year.
Since then, the Ministry of Education and Higher Education has still not followed up on this proposal, drawn up with 57 partners from the world of education. Furthermore, your department has unfortunately not taken advantage of several other opportunities to recognize the role of education as a lever for the societal transformations that are necessary in the face of current environmental issues. We will mention three of them here.
First, the competency “Anchoring one’s educational action in the contemporary socio-ecological context” was removed from the new framework of professional skills in teaching. This would have transformed the initial training of teaching staff by allowing them to situate student learning in the light of current ecological and social realities. Despite all the consultations that subsequently approved it, the ministry chose to eliminate this competency from the final version.
Next, we must mention the work in progress concerning the Culture and Citizenship of Quebec program, where the ministry has included environmental issues among others in the “Citizenship” axis, thus opening a certain educational window on the development of a eco-citizenship. However, the relationship to the environment is also eminently cultural, and its transformation cannot do without the development of a critical conscience.
Thus, environmental issues should also be addressed in the “Culture” and “Dialogue and critical thinking” axes of the program under construction. The work of a number of authors has also long underlined that an education relating to the environment must be integrated in a cross-cutting manner into the entire curriculum.
Finally, by looking through the school network’s support and advisory plan for sustainable development (2021), it is difficult to find in the document an element of critical reflection on the limits of the reference framework for sustainable development (which the UN defined as “sustained economic growth”). Indeed, this plan makes no reference to the important criticism formulated by so many sociologists, economists, political scientists and others with regard to the prescription of “sustainable development” and the politico-economic aim of development education. sustainable.
The proposal that we continue to make is broader and more structuring: that the Government of Quebec adopt a public policy guaranteeing each Quebecer access to an education relating to the environment commensurate with the current challenges. Mr. Roberge, will you be the bearer of such a policy? Several countries around the world have already adopted legislative frameworks or strategies in this regard. In Quebec, the expertise developed by many players in the world of formal and non-formal education lacks recognition, but above all lacks adequate support. They are still waiting for a gesture from your ministry to deploy an education capable of responding in particular to the striking appeal of young people mobilized for the climate.
Today, more than a hundred organizations remind us that environmental education is an essential dimension of basic education and that it is important to act now. We recall that the recognition of the pioneering and long-term contributions of Professor Lucie Sauvé in the field of environmental education should translate into a ministerial commitment commensurate with current socio-ecological challenges, thus also valuing and supporting the commitment various education personnel concerned with contributing to an education rooted in the realities of our world currently living in peril.
*The following coalition members have also signed this letter:
● Center for research in education and training relating to the environment and eco-citizenship (Centr’ERE)
● Grouping of Eco-Districts
● Professional association of animators of spiritual life and community involvement of Quebec (APAVECQ)
● The Assumption in transition
● Quebec Association of Heritage Interpreters
● From town to forest
● Quebec Association for the Promotion of Environmental Education
● Network of women in the environment (RQFE)
● Emergency Water!
● Montreal Urban Ecology Center
● Docomig Learning Circle
● GRAME
● Quebec network of environmental groups (RQGE)
● Carbon neutral
● Mountain Friends
● Mount Pinnacle Land Trust
● Ruiter Valley Land Trust
● School-o-village
● Quebec Association of Soil Science Specialists
● Québec’ERE environmental consulting services
● Child Nature CPE
● Health Environment Synergy
● TOHU
● Association of Scouts of Canada
● St. Bernard Heritage
● Space for life
● Cegep of Old Montreal
● CÉPOP- Center for popular eco-initiatives
● GMR side
● MP advice
● City in green
● FA Coop
● Quebec 4-H Clubs
● Explos-Nature
● Montreal Climate Coalition
● School-O-Field
● Urban Path
● iMatter Youth
● Terra earth ecological solutions
● SAESEM (Society for Action, Education and Environmental Awareness of Montreal)
● Crazy by Nature
● Sutton Natural Environment Park
● Space For Life
● Equiterre
● GreenCPN Environment and Water
● Mont Saint-Hilaire Nature Center
● Cross Country Ski Club – Outdoor Sports of Malartic
● Charles Lemoyne School
● Du Bon Vent Productions
● Educonnection
● The Léger work
● It grows!
● The Depot Community Food Center
● GreenCity
● STTCISSS Environment Committee of Lanaudière CSN
● Water Education and Eco-monitoring Group (G3E)
● Julie’s Garden
● Transition Verdun
● Tree-Evolution Solidarity Coop
● Blue forest communication
● Friends of the Earth Brandon
● Outdoor Coalition
● Coop Incita
● Port-au-Saumon ecological center
● Enviro Educ-Action
● Madelinienne Association for Energy and Environmental Security
● Greenpeace Canada
● Teachers for the Planet
● Attention FragIslands
● Maisonneuve College
● UNI-VERT Daycare
● Quebec Leisure Council
● Circles of Young Naturalists
● Paul Gérin-Lajoie Foundation
● Two shores forestry association
● Bas-Laurentien International Crossroads for Social Commitment (TARGETS)
● Curé-Antoine-Labelle High School
● La Brouette – urban agriculture and eco-citizenship
● Saint-Louis College
● ProJED-Congo
● Incita – Zero waste advisory co-op
● Saint-Hilaire College
● Port-au-Saumon ecological center
● Lab22 – Laboratory of social and environmental innovations
● Benevolence Nature
● L’Odyssée-des-Jeunes School
● CNPE (National Environmental Advocacy Coalition) of Madagascar
● Between the plate and us
● EcoSchools Canada
● Lab22 – Laboratory of social and environmental innovations
● Promotion for Development (PROMODEV)
● Municipality of St-Marc-sur-Richelieu
● Gens des Sources senc
● Jean-Eudes College
● The Ecotheque
● Heaven and Earth
● Eco-citizen group of Sainte-Marthe-sur-le-Lac
● FerÉcho Creations
● Croquarium
● AREQ 04: Association of Pensioners and Retirees of Quebec Education and Other Public Services
In addition to 338 individual members whose names are online on the website of the Coalition Éducation – Environnement – Écocitoyenneté: https://www.coalition-education-environnement-ecocitoyennete.org/membres