By William Crooks
Local Journalism Initiative
As school boards scramble to absorb $510 million in new education cuts across Quebec, Saint-François MNA Geneviève Hébert has declined to offer any further public comment on the issue, despite repeated requests from The Record.
In a written statement shared by her press attaché, Hébert emphasized that the education budget has increased by $1.1 billion this year to a record $23.5 billion. She added that since 2018, the government has increased education funding by 58 per cent. However, she acknowledged that staffing increases have outpaced student population growth, saying school service centres must now “make decisions that respond best to local needs while ensuring the sustainability of student services.”
Although Hébert’s office initially indicated she would be unavailable for an interview on June 18, The Record followed up the next day to request a future interview. That request was declined on June 19, with her office confirming that Hébert would not comment further on the education cuts. She remains, according to her spokesperson, “in close contact with stakeholders in the school sector” and “fully aware of the challenges they face.”
The silence follows sharp criticism from unions and school boards across the province. On June 17, the Centrale des syndicats du Québec (CSQ) released a statement accusing Education Minister Bernard Drainville of misleading the public, calling the budget changes a return to “austerity.” The federation highlighted severe consequences for students and staff, including hiring freezes, work overload, and the cancellation of staff assignment sessions. “We talk about educational success, but we’re cutting what’s needed to achieve it,” said FPSS-CSQ President Éric Pronovost. “Enough with the hypocrisy.”
The cuts also include a drastic reduction to building maintenance budgets, from nearly $1 billion in 2023–2024 to just $100 million in 2025–2026—a 90 per cent drop in two years. “We talk about a strong Quebec while our schools are falling apart—literally and figuratively,” Pronovost added.
Locally, the Eastern Townships School Board (ETSB) estimates it must slash around $6.5 million, or roughly five per cent of its total operating budget. Board Chair Mike Murray previously warned that extracurriculars, support services, and student aides are at serious risk. “Yes, contact your MNA and tell them it’s idiocy,” he told The Record in an earlier interview.
Brome-Missisquoi MNA Isabelle Charest, who issued a nearly identical statement to Hébert’s earlier this week, did not respond to a request for an eventual interview on June 19.
The Record has also contacted the ATA Union, the CSQ TRUSS union, and the Quebec English School Boards Association (QESBA) for interviews but has yet to receive responses.
