The Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ) government prioritizes CAQ ridings when it comes to investing in school construction and renovation, says Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois.
The Québec solidaire (QS) member of parliament presented on Monday the results of his investigation “The right party, the good schools?” for which he made no less than 76 access to information requests.
He argues that CAQ counties have received a disproportionate share of school construction and renovation projects and investments from the Quebec Infrastructure Plan (PQI) since 2018.
According to his calculations, while the CAQ held approximately 64 per cent of the seats in the National Assembly in recent years, its ridings obtained 72 per centof the projects and 75 per cent of the total investments in school infrastructure.
The CAQ ridings are, however, those where schools are, on average, the least outdated (17 per cent on average), the youngest (55 years on average) and the most favoured (average rank of 5.2) in Quebec, he observed.
In comparison, counties held by QS would have obtained 4.2 per cent of projects and 1.6 per cent of investments, while the party’s political weight was 8 per cent.
Furthermore, 75 per cent of the PQI investments in school infrastructure were made during the first 2 years of the CAQ government (2019 and 2020).
Typically, this “ribbon-cutting politics” strategy at the beginning of a mandate allows the government in power to “gain visibility close to election deadlines,” Nadeau-Dubois pointed out.
“Since 2018, CAQ-held ridings have received far more than their fair share,” he summarized in a statement. The investment allocation process is opaque. There is a serious problem with transparency and fairness.
“All children deserve good schools, regardless of the colour of the local MNA. The money should go where the needs are greatest, period,” he added.
The Member of Parliament for Gouin recommends making the approval process for school infrastructure projects more transparent and equitable. His report makes two main recommendations:
– Clearly establish stable criteria for evaluating school infrastructure projects and make them public;
– To make public, under these criteria, the objective reasons that justify the approval or rejection of projects by the Government of Quebec.
“Parents, school administrators, and students have the right to know why a project is accepted, rejected, or postponed. Right now, the process is too opaque.”
“Decisions regarding school infrastructure should not depend on political arbitrariness, but on the real needs of children and communities,” said Nadeau-Dubois.
Sonia LeBel denies it
The office of Education Minister Sonia LeBel rejects the conclusions of the Nadeau-Dubois report.
“The analysis of school infrastructure projects is not done according to counties; it is done according to the needs of students, based on objective criteria,” a message sent to The Canadian Press stated.
“We can never give the green light to all projects at the same time. We must respect the ability of Quebecers to pay. We must also promote the maintenance of assets and carry out repairs. We cannot just inaugurate new schools.”
The firm argues that, since 2018, the number of children to be educated in Quebec has increased by 100,000.
The CSQ is worried
On Monday, the president of the Centrale des syndicats du Québec (CSQ), Éric Gingras, nevertheless expressed concern about the MNA’s observations.
“For the CSQ, it is clear that the principle of fairness must prevail with regard to government spending. The needs of students and communities must prevail, not partisanship,” he said in a statement.
According to him, 53 per cent of schools are in poor condition. “In other words, it is absolutely necessary to inject additional funds. However, there is no plan or long-term vision,” he laments.
“We reiterate our request to bring together all partners in the network to hold a major collective reflection on the future of education in Quebec and to establish a plan for the next 15 or 20 years.”
–This report by La Presse Canadienne was translated by CityNews
