Opposition says the 2025-2026 Quebec school year has been one of the worst

Students and staff have had their “worst start to the school year in years” due to Education Minister Bernard Drainville's policies, say the Liberals.

Students and staff have had their “worst start to the school year in years” due to the “chaos” caused by Education Minister Bernard Drainville, say the Liberals.

During a news briefing on Monday outside a school in Charlesbourg, Quebec City, Liberal education spokesperson Madwa-Nika Cadet recalled the $570 million in cuts announced in June.

Then, in the middle of the summer, the Minister of Education backtracked, announcing a reinvestment of $540 million in student services.

“It’s too little, too late,” said an indignant Cadet, who was accompanied on Monday by Éric Pronovost, president of the Fédération du personnel de soutien scolaire (FPSS-CSQ).

Pronovost said that since May 14, the number of special education technicians (TES) in the network has fallen by 2,749.

“People in the field are experiencing instability and anxiety. For us, this is the worst start to the school year we have ever experienced,” he said.

“When we talk about a government that says it wants to promote education, well, for us, it’s clearly not a priority,”

Pronovost and Cadet also made a connection between the lack of TES and the increase in violence in schools.

According to figures obtained by the union, no fewer than 56,000 cases of violence (physical, psychological and sexual) have occurred in Quebec schools over the past three years.

TES are often on the front line when it comes to dealing with violent situations.

“As long as we don’t work upstream in Quebec, in collaboration with parents, we won’t be able to get out of this situation,” said Pronovost.

Cadet said that Drainville has lost the trust of the network, but that replacing him will not “change much,” in her opinion.

Premier François Legault is expected to reshuffle his cabinet on Wednesday afternoon in the hope of giving new momentum to his government, which has been struggling in the polls.

A Pallas Data/L’Actualité/Qc125 poll published on Monday now places the Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ) in fourth place, behind the Parti Québécois, the Liberal Party and the Conservative Party, which is unprecedented.

The reshuffle will have little impact on education, where the damage has already been done, according to the Liberal opposition.

“I don’t think it will change much,” said Cadet. “The cuts have already been made. Chaos has already been sown in the system.

“Even if there is a new Minister of Education, (...) if he is not prepared to make a 180-degree turn on the policies pursued by the CAQ government, nothing will change.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on Sept. 8, 2025.