Parents’ committees, teachers’ union and support workers gathered on Sunday to demand that the Quebec government invest more resources into education.
“It's time to reinvest, it's time to send a message that education is a priority for Quebec, that our children are a priority for the future,” said Federation of Parents’ Committees of Quebec President Corinne Payne.
The groups are upset about recent cuts to the education budget and said that children will feel the effects.
“We’re at rock bottom right now,” said Payne. “We’ve continued to cut. We’re cutting special educators, psychologists, we’re cutting toilet paper, we’re cutting programs for children with special needs.”
They say the system has lost $1 billion over the past five years and parents will soon feel the financial effects.
“Parents are paying for transportation, for opening a file with the daycare,” said Payne. “We found out two weeks ago that on our PED days we’re going to have to pay double the fee for having our kids in daycare that day.”
The Quebec government has said that the $360 million cut to the education budget is necessary to balance the books, but the groups say this can be accomplished in other ways.
“Austerity is just a means to an end,” said Payne. “We can take the time necessary to arrive at deficit-zero without destroying the amazing education system that we have in Quebec right now.”
