Education is a social contract—one that ensures equal opportunity for all. It stands as a cornerstone of our society, a promise made to every child, every family and every generation. Yet year after year, our education system is forced to operate under budgetary uncertainty, subject to political whims and decisions that undermine the entire system. We denounce this today with one united voice. Change is essential—for our young people, their parents, and for the future of Quebec.
The 2025 school year has just begun—a pivotal moment for our young people and for hundreds of thousands of families. Across the province, school staff are working tirelessly to ensure everything runs smoothly. But at what cost? It is a question that requires serious reflection.
We cannot start this school year without remembering the wave of budget cuts announced at the beginning of the summer.
On the one hand, the government’s backtracking, though welcome, remains only partial. It does nothing to resolve the problems already present in the system. Furthermore, the conditions attached to the reinstated funds—stricter reporting requirements and tighter administrative controls—further erode funding stability and hinder strategic planning. This looms over the year ahead, making medium- and long-term planning nearly impossible.
One thing is clear: education requires stability. When will there be consistent, reliable investments in education that are not, year after year, left to the mercy of budgets and political agendas?
Budgetary stability is not an administrative whim. It is a basic requirement for ensuring the consistency, continuity and quality of educational services. We ask much of schools, yet fail to give them the resources to deliver.
This uncertainty also creates unnecessary stress on teams and drains valuable energy. It erodes confidence and efficiency across the system. Staff bear the brunt and students pay the price—when they should be at the centre of every decision.
Last June, the response sparked an immediate outcry. Voices united to denounce these senseless decisions. Public pressure mounted; the government felt it—and only then did it back down. But how did we reach this point?
For a government that has so often proclaimed education to be a priority, how is it possible not to grasp its full importance for Quebecers?
Not only are cuts to education unacceptable, but current investments remain insufficient to cover the real costs of the increasing number of students in schools and centres, the needs of students with handicaps, social maladjustments, or learning difficulties, the declining state of many buildings, and operating expenses that continue to weigh heavily on the funding and operation of our schools and centres. After years of cutbacks under previous governments, the damage is both tangible and troubling, underscoring the urgency of maintaining investments that truly meet the needs—consistently, year after year.
Let us stop playing with words and numbers: reducing investment means cutting back. Education deserves better.
We call on the government today to clearly reaffirm the central role of education in our society. Words are not enough; what is needed are coherent decisions, an end to day-to-day crisis management, and a firm commitment to predictable and stable support for the system.
Coalition des partenaires en education [Coalition of Partners in Education]
Éric Gingras, CSQ
Richard Bergevin, Fédération des syndicats de l’enseignement (FSE-CSQ)
Éric Pronovost, Fédération du personnel de soutien scolaire (FPSS-CSQ)
Carolane Desmarais, Fédération du personnel professionnel de l’éducation du Québec (FPPE-CSQ)
Magali Picard, FTQ
Caroline Senneville, Confédération des Syndicats Nationaux (CSN)
Heidi Yetman, Quebec Provincial Association of Teachers (QPAT)
Francis Côté, Fédération québécoise des directions d’établissement d’enseignement (FQDE)
André Bernier, Association québécoise du personnel de direction des écoles (AQPDE)
Sylvain Martel, Regroupement des comités de parents autonomes du Québec (RCPAQ)
David Meloche, Quebec English School Boards Association (QESBA)
Amélie Duranleau, Québec Intellectual Disability Society (QIDS)
Kathleen Legault, Association montréalaise des directions d’établissement scolaire (Amdes)
Bianca Nugent, Coalition of Parents of Children with Special Needs of Quebec (CPEBPQ)
Lili Plourde, Fédération québécoise de l’autisme (FQA)
Evelyne Alfonsi, Association of Administrators of English Schools of Québec (AAESQ)
Mélanie Laviolette, Fédération des comités de parents du Québec (FCPQ)
Katherine Korakakis, English Parents’ Committee Association of Quebec (EPCA)
Jean Trudelle, Debout pour l’école
Patrick Gloutney, CUPE Québec
Michelle Poulin, Education Sector of CUPE Québec
Manon Cholette, Conseil national du soutien scolaire (CNSS-SEPB)
Marie Deschênes, The Service Employees Union, Local 800 (UES800–FTQ)
Frédéric Brun, Fédération des employées et employés de la Fédération des services publics – CSN (FEESP-CSN)
Benoit Lacoursière, Fédération nationale des enseignantes et enseignants du Québec (FNEEQ-CSN)