Quebec projects large deficit in budget due to contract deal with teachers

CBC
Sun, February 18, 2024 

At a news conference Sunday, Premier François Legault said the choice to invest 'massively' in public services 'will have financial consequences.' (CBC - image credit)

Quebec Premier François Legault says he's proud of the "massive" investments his government has made to improve working conditions and salaries for teachers in the province's public sector — but the new measures will come at a price.

At a news conference Sunday, Legault projected a large deficit in the government's budget next month due in part to the recently renewed collective agreements in the education sector.

"The choice we made to invest massively in public services will have financial consequences," warned Legault.

"We find ourselves with a budget that is largely in deficit — much more of a deficit than it was before these negotiations," he said.

Details of the deficit will be revealed when the budget is tabled next month.

Legault assured this deficit would not lead to service cuts or tax increases, but he said it's possible the goal of balancing the budget by 2027-2028 would be postponed.

Legault was joined by Quebec Education minister Bernard Drainville and Treasury Board President Sonia LeBel Sunday to release new details about the negotiated measures in the teachers' collective agreements. Many details have been previously reported by CBC.

The measures include bringing in 4,000 new classroom aides, adding full-time specialized workers in secondary schools and establishing a new class composition mechanism to better support teachers dealing with students with difficulties.

The deal provides for the addition of 5,000 permanent positions and also grants teachers more flexibility to work overtime or not, as well as complete training on the clock.

Increased salary caps for teachers, school psychologists and special education technicians are also included in the deal. The annual salary increase will vary between 18 per cent to 27 per cent over five years, Legault said.

Daycare workers will also become classroom aides, bumping their average salary from $27,000 to $56,000.

"We're improving the quality of life for teachers and school staff," said Drainville. "I sincerely believe that this agreement can help us attract new talent to the education professions."

While the new deal should theoretically improve staff retention and recruitment, it will also come at a cost. But it's one Legault says he's willing to pay.

"It may be a choice that will be criticized by some, but I think it's the best choice we can make. As premier of Quebec, I accept this choice. I think it's the right choice. It's a responsible choice," he said.

'Still much to do'

But Josée Scalabrini, the president of the Fédération des syndicats de l'enseignement (FSE-CSQ), said Legault put on rose-coloured glasses at the news conference.

She said there are still some unions that need to vote to ratify their collective agreements.

"A large majority of our teachers disagree that we just came out of a great negotiation. They've just been told, 'We didn't listen to you, we didn't hear you,'" she said.

Scalabrini said she was also surprised to hear Legault blame the deficit on the deals the government struck with teachers' unions.

She said the government had divested from education for years and is now playing catch-up.

Though she agrees that the new agreements are a step in the right direction, there is "still much to do," Scalabrini said.