WATCH: Quebec’s education minister Francois Blais confirms his government’s plans to abolish school board elections.
MONTREAL – Quebec’s Education Minister François Blais confirmed his plan Friday to abolish school board elections in Quebec.
Blais insisted school board elections are a costly, useless affairs that don’t help students succeed.
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Quebec’s Federation of School Boards has already spoken out against the move, calling it anti-democratic.
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English school boards insisted it’s their constitutional right to manage their own schools.
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They argue this right extends to holding fair elections.
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“We believe that the right to universally elected council is not only the best way of managing the English school boards, but it’s also part of the constitutionally protected rights of the Anglophone minority in Quebec,” said Suanne Stein Day, chairperson of the Lester B. Pearson School Board.
“So, we will continue to fight this.”
The Quebec English School Board Association has hired a constitutional lawyer to guide them through negotiations with the minister.
Blais is planning to introduce a bill on school governance in the fall.
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