It’s the end of French school boards in Quebec, and the beginning of a legal battle for English boards to preserve their right to govern their schools. In the early hours of Saturday morning, after invoking closure, The CAQ government passed education bill 40. In addition to the 100 or so pages of amendments made to the bill over the last week, the CAQ included an amendment during the final debate period, calling for the immediate removal of all French elected commissioners from office. According to the Quebec English School Boards Association (QESBA), the move was made in an effort to stop French boards from challenging the legislation in court. “It is a dark, dark day for democracy in Québec when a government regardless of the clear opposition to Bill 40, decides to cut all debate and force the adoption in the National Assembly,” commented Vice-President Noel Burke in a recent press release. “We will meet our lawyers in very short order to examine our next steps and should have more information in the coming weeks,” concluded the Vice-President. See full story in the Monday, Feb. 10 edition of The Record.
Bill 40 forced through National Assembly
By Matthew McCully