Demonstration in support of education workers at Legault's Montreal offices

A rally in support of striking education workers is taking place in front of Premier François Legault's Montreal offices. (CTV News)

Just after 11 a.m., school buses packed with striking teachers parked on Sherbrooke Street in front of Quebec Premier Francois Legault's Montreal office.

An hour later, several hundred demonstrators blocked traffic on Sherbrooke Street near McGill College.

Several in the crowd waved red Fédération autonome de l'enseignement (FAE) flags to the sound of horns and trumpets. Members of the union have been on indefinite strike since November 23.

"I'm passionate about my job, but I have to make choices for my family, and I'm thinking about whether I want to stay in this profession," explained teacher Rosalie Gaudreault, who was in the crowd.

She believes the work stoppage could have been avoided if there had been a "better composition of the class." That request is at the heart of the teachers' demands.

"For example, out of 23 students. I had 17 with special needs. I had a special educator in the classroom, but she wasn't full time," the Grade 3 teacher explained, adding that "teachers need help" at her school.

Rosalie Gaudreault works at a Laval school "in a disadvantaged, multicultural environment" where "there are children who have not attended school for three years because they have lived through war."

In particular, the FAE is calling for more specialized classes to provide appropriate services for students with special needs.

"We have kindergarten-age children arriving from abroad [...] Some children don't speak French, some aren't potty-trained, some have never seen a book in their lives, we have a lot of needs," Gaudreault told The Canadian Press.

She said she "sincerely loves what she does" and wants to continue teaching; "I just don't want to burn out again."

The rally organizers want to "make it clear to the government that it must reach a negotiated settlement now with teachers and all those who work in public schools," reads the event's Facebook page.

"Because on Jan. 8, Quebec's children must go back to school in a healthier education system!" it continued.

A number of figures in the Quebec arts scene took part in the demonstration, including Vincent Bolduc, Catherine Ethier, Simon Boulerice, Sophie Cadieux, Emmanuel Bilodeau, Anaïs Barbeau-Lavalette, Vincent-Guillaume Otis and Isabelle Blais.

The 66,000 members of the FAE are on indefinite strike, while the Common Front is threatening to follow suit in early 2024 if sufficient progress is not made at the negotiating tables.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on Dec. 22, 2023.