Quebec's education reform infringes on anglophone rights, English school boards say
The Quebec English School Boards Association (QESBA) is considering legal action against Bill 23, a proposed education reform that would give the provincial government more control over school boards.
The bill, tabled last week, would authorize the education minister to appoint and dismiss school service centre directors general and override decisions that don't align with given objectives, among other changes.
Education Minister Bernard Drainville confirmed that the bill would apply to both French school service centres and the province's nine English school boards, sparking immediate backlash.
The QESBA argues that certain aspects of the bill, if passed, would infringe on the rights of the English-speaking community in managing its own school system.
"There are a couple of provisions that are clearly unconstitutional, in our view," said Russell Copeman, executive director of QESBA. "One is the government giving itself the power to appoint directors general of school boards."
He pointed to a 1990 ruling by the Supreme Court of Canada which affirmed the right of minority-language communities to manage and control their children's education, either by guaranteed representation on existing school boards or by establishing separate boards entirely.
Giving the provincial government authority to choose school board directors, as well as overrule their decisions, would be a "clear and manifest" violation of this right, Copeman argued.
"As is, if the national assembly were to adopt [Bill 23] in present form, the QESBA would immediately undertake a constitutional challenge to the bill," he said.
He said the QESBA is urging the government to change the applicable provisions before the bill becomes law.
Last week, Education Minister Drainville said he believes Bill 23 "respects the rights" of Quebec's anglophones.
"I'm extremely aware of the fact that this is something that is very, very important to the English-speaking community," Drainville told CTV News, noting that the candidates he recommends as executive director will be from the English-speaking community.
But to Copeman, this promise "misses the point."
"It is not who is appointed, it is who is given the power to appoint that is the constitutional guarantee," he said.
Drainville said the main goal of Bill 23 is improve the education network's efficiency and unify the system under "the same vision."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
'Anything to win': Trudeau says as Poilievre defends meeting protesters
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is accusing Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre of welcoming 'the support of conspiracy theorists and extremists,' after the Conservative leader was photographed meeting with protesters, which his office has defended.
Fair in Ontario, flurries in Labrador: Weather systems make for an erratic spring
"It's a bit of a complicated pattern; we've got a lot going on," said Jennifer Smith of the Meteorological Service of Canada in an interview with CTVNews.ca on Wednesday. "[As is] typical with weather, all of these things are related."
Boeing's financial woes continue, while families of crash victims urge U.S. to prosecute the company
Boeing said Wednesday that it lost US$355 million on falling revenue in the first quarter, another sign of the crisis gripping the aircraft manufacturer as it faces increasing scrutiny over the safety of its planes and accusations of shoddy work from a growing number of whistleblowers.
Police tangle with students in Texas and California as wave of campus protest against Gaza war grows
Police tangled with student demonstrators in Texas and California while new encampments sprouted Wednesday at Harvard and other colleges as school leaders sought ways to defuse a growing wave of pro-Palestinian protests.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.