Once again, Quebec's Coalition Avenir Quebec (CAQ) government is imposing a fresh round of austerity measures on the province's federation of CEGEPs. After slashing the federation's budget just days before the start of the 2024–2025 school year, Minister Pascale Déry is back at it, imposing a further $150 million in cuts for the coming year. This represents 3 million less in the respective budgets of CEGEPs Montmorency and Sherbrooke. The Confédération des syndicats nationaux and the Centrale des syndicats du Québec, which represent many CEGEP teachers and workers, have called for the minister's resignation.
This new wave of cuts comes on top of the hiring freeze imposed across the public service last year by the Treasury Board and a drastic tightening of investment and equipment acquisition budgets.
Antoine Deslauriers, philosophy professor at CEGEP Saint-Laurent, explains the impacts of these measures. “Concretely, what happens is that with these freezes and cuts in particular, when someone who is not in immediate contact with the students leaves, well, that person will not be replaced.”
“What concerns us is that we're unduly increasing the pressure on the workers who will remain in their positions, with obviously increased risks of injury, burnout and the like.”
These measures are particularly painful given the lamentable state of the CEGEPs and the major challenges facing higher education. In March, students at CEGEP Saint-Laurent went on strike to protest the collapse of their campus and the consequences on their academic careers.
Deslauriers could personally attest to the impact of austerity. “Before I became a teacher, I worked in adapted education [a service providing support to students with difficulties]. I know the struggles that come with the lack of resources, particularly with regards to CEGEP Saint-Laurent, the reorganization of the premises. This can cause difficulties and stress for both students and workers. It's a real problem.”
The announcement of the end of the Perspectives scholarships was also very badly received by students. This program aimed to provide additional financial support to students in programs targeted for their labour shortage and which often involve unpaid internships (teaching, early childhood education, nursing).
The Observatoire sur la réussite en enseignement supérieur (ORES), an organization that aims to share knowledge among higher education professors, had to cease its activities in March due to a lack of funding. The Teaching and Learning Research Assistance Program, which funded educational research in colleges, also had to suspend its activities.
According to Deslauriers, the CAQ and the governments that preceded it have regularly attacked general education. “General education is, from their point of view, a barrier to entry into the job market for those who do not want to complete courses in philosophy, French, physical education and English. From the governments' point of view, this is a loss of labour.”
The CAQ justifies its cuts to the education system by its latest budget, which allegedly presents a “historic deficit” to be filled. However, the Institute for Socio-Economic Research and Information (IRIS) refuted this fear campaign in its study of the budget last March. According to IRIS calculations, the deficit is under control, even though it represents a lower share of GDP than in previous budgets.
A union counterattack is planned by several unions, notably at CEGEP Saint-Laurent where they are organized in an inter-union alliance. “There has been significant work being done at CEGEP de Saint-Laurent for several sessions now, particularly since the last joint front, to highlight the sometimes dramatic consequences that these cuts will have on a certain number of CEGEP workers. I am thinking particularly of support sector workers and professionals.”
In addition to these new austerity measures, Minister Déry has become increasingly unpopular due to her interference in the content of certain courses in CEGEPs. She has imposed on certain programs at the Dawson and Vanier CEGEPs a ban on any criticism of the State of Israel and any mention of the ongoing genocide in Gaza.