'Deeply troubling': English parents group says it was left out of hearings on Quebec education bill
CTV
A parents' group representing students in English-language school boards said it is 'deeply troubling' that it was not invited to participate in public hearings on Quebec's education reform bill.
A parents' group representing students in English-language school boards said it is "deeply troubling" that it was not invited to participate in public hearings on a bill that would overhaul Quebec's education system.
Tabled in early May, the Act to amend mainly the Education Act and to enact the Act respecting the Institut national d’excellence en education, also known as Bill 23, would give the provincial government more control over school boards.
Included in the bill are provisions that would, among other things, allow the education minister to appoint and dismiss the heads of school service centres and override decisions that don't align with specific objectives. The Ministry of Education confirmed that the bill would apply to both French school service centres and the province's nine English school boards.
The English Parents’ Committee Association (EPCA) said in a news release Tuesday that it was "excluded" from the committee hearings, which are scheduled to start Thursday in Quebec City.
Their name does not appear on the hearing schedule posted on the National Assembly website. Two groups representing francophone parents — the Fédération des comités de parents du Québec and the Regroupement des comités de parents autonomes du Québec — appear on the list of speakers invited to speak about the bill.
No English parents groups appear on the list. The only group that represents the anglophone community is the Quebec English School Boards Association.
"All of the associations representing the French parent committees have been invited to participate, but EPCA has been excluded, despite having directly requested to participate," the release said.
