A new petition against budget cuts in education has collected more than 27,776 signatures as of Wednesday morning, including 25,000 in the first two days. The petition, sponsored by PQ MNA Pascal Bérubé and available on the National Assembly website, calls on the Quebec government not to proceed with the restrictions, “so that direct services to students are not affected.” Quebec’s school service centres will have to find $570 million to meet Quebec City’s demand. Various scenarios have been discussed to determine which services will be affected: disability or maternity leave not replaced, reduced food assistance, dropout prevention, etc. For Bérubé, himself a teacher by training, there is no doubt that direct services to students will be affected, whether they are children living with disabilities or those experiencing adjustment or learning difficulties. People can sign the petition until Sept. 15; it will be submitted to the National Assembly when it resumes its work. This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on June 25, 2025. By Lia Lévesque, The Canadian Press
