(Quebec) “It’s better to tell the truth than fool around,” says Bernard Drainville. Following that logic, the education minister announced on Tuesday that he would push back to 2029-2030 — a putative third mandate from the Coalition avenir Québec (CAQ) in government if it wins the next election — to a target of 2,600 open 4-year-olds Kindergarten classes throughout Quebec.
Posted 4:57pm Updated 5:26pm
Mr. Drainville’s announcement came during an interview he gave to TVA. The CAQ minister justified this shift with the same arguments that had led his predecessor to slow the pace last term: shortage of teaching staff and shortage of space in schools to open these classes.
“We’re at 1600 [classes de maternelles 4 ans au Québec]. The goal is 2600. We are about 1000 short. Instead of saying that we will make 1000 [classes] by 2025 we realize it would be irresponsible to say so. So we’re going to spread it out over time,” he reasoned.
PHOTO ROBERT SKINNER, LA PRESSE ARCHIVE
Bernhard Drainville
The creation of 4-year-old kindergartens is a flagship promise of the CAQ. In 2018, during the election campaign that led to François Legault becoming prime minister for the first time, he put his seat on the line by promising to fulfill his promise to offer a 4-year kindergarten to all children in Quebec. .
However, this promise developed during the first mandate. It has grown from 5,000 open classes by 2023-2024 to 2,600 classes by 2025-2026. With Tuesday’s latest update, the CAQ is re-examining that goal and now promising to achieve it four years later.
“Do you hear the beeping of the backing truck? »
Barely announced, this new setback by the Legault government in achieving its goal of creating kindergarten classes for 4-year-olds roused opposition.
Quebec Liberal Party education critic Marwah Rizqy said “it was written in the sky” that Quebec would “forgo its commitment”.
In the last mandate, she lamented, the caquistes “laughed out loud when told there was a lack of teachers and premises.”
PQ MP Pascal Bérubé said he did not understand “François Legault’s obsession with 4-year-old kindergartens”.
“I remember the general astonishment of the political class when he said yes in the debate [des chefs de 2018] that he was willing to risk his spot for the 4-year-old kindergarten. What about his seat? ‘ he asked ironically.
For her part, Québec solidaire’s Ruba Ghazal asked if Quebecers, like her, had heard “the beeping of the reversing truck.”
“After the director of a school service center who had closed 4-year kindergarten classes due to staff shortages was turned away, the Minister of Education is now making the same decision. It took more than four years for the CAQ to realize that the 4-year-old kindergarten really isn’t a priority for our network. If Bernard Drainville really wants to avoid screwing around with Quebecers, he should give up the 4-year-old kindergarten for good,” she said.