Montreal parents protest education cuts, call for major reinvestment

Angry over education budget cuts, parents gathered Sunday afternoon in Montreal to make their voices — and their frustration — heard, saying the system is “running on fumes.”

“Parents aren’t fooled,” said Geneviève Simon Potvin, a mother of two high school students, during a morning news conference outside the Ministry of Education offices.

“We no longer believe a word the minister says when he claims money is being reinvested in schools. What we see on the ground is a system in desperate need of significant funding,” she added.

Simon Potvin is part of the citizen movement Uni-es pour l’école, created last June by parents in response to the announcement of at least $570 million in cuts to public and private schools in the province for 2025-26.

In response to the backlash, the Legault government later decided to inject an additional $540 million into student services, on the condition that efforts be made to reduce spending.

“We cannot say it enough: education is our top priority. It’s factual, we are investing massively, more than any government ever has,” the office of Education Minister Bernard Drainville said in an email.

The minister’s office noted that the education budget has increased by nearly 60 per cent since 2018 but acknowledged it “requires school service centres to make necessary administrative efforts while maintaining services for students.”

The Montreal gathering is far from the first. Nearly 50 similar actions have taken place across the province over the summer.

“We are protesting education budget cuts, not only those announced in June but those accumulated over the past decades,” Simon Potvin said.

“As parents, we’re worried. We know the cuts have caused harm, and the story isn’t over yet,” added the mother, who is also chair of a parent committee in Estrie.

For Adam Pétrin, a father of two and a college-level teacher, “the bleeding isn’t over.”

While classroom instruction isn’t directly affected by the cuts, indirect services such as psychologists, special educators, and guidance counsellors, are being impacted.

“These aren’t always visible because classroom teaching continues, with teachers taking on the burden themselves, but it puts pressure on staff,” he said.

“Even if they tell us these are indirect cuts, it creates extra work,” the teacher added. He cited a shortage of staff in his college’s reprography service, which sometimes delays copies he needs, forcing him to do the work himself to have materials on time.

Parents have one clear demand: a major and sustainable reinvestment in education. They plan to keep making their voices heard until that happens or until elections are held.

“This isn’t the last time you’ll hear from us,” Pétrin said.

Unions and community organizations are expected to join the gathering, along with Québec solidaire co-spokesperson Ruba Ghazal and other party members.

“It’s very important for Québec solidaire and for me to be present with the people who are keeping our public schools afloat and with parents struggling because their children aren’t receiving the services they’re entitled to,” Ghazal told The Canadian Press.

–This report by La Presse Canadienne was translated by CityNews