26 December 2021
For many of us, the holiday season is a time to reflect on the year just passed. This year, I have come to realize more than ever how essential we are to the proper functioning of the Quebec school network.
More than ever before, the shortage of qualified school support staff is having serious repercussions for our students. We are, of course, resourceful people and we do our best to mitigate this shortage by “helping out” our colleagues, but we shouldn’t have to! And despite all our good will, young people are the ones paying the price because they do not have access to the services they require for their proper development. There is a reason each class of employment exists, and one simply cannot replace the other.
There are many consequences to this lack of qualified personnel. We see it every day, whether are job is to provide direct services to students or in the general sector: increased anxiety and psychological distress among young people, increased mental illness, and increased verbal and physical violence in the schools.
And yet the government seems to persist in turning a blind eye to all the problems this shortage is creating. While all this time the solution to attracting more workers has remained simple: proper recognition of the real value of our jobs!
The pandemic has certainly exacerbated the problems we are experiencing, but the situation was foreseeable. I can prove it by going back in time. I did some research and discovered that the first time the FPSS-CSQ went public with their concerns about an imminent labour shortage and its consequences in Quebec’s school system was in 2013. Let me repeat: 2013! In other words, we have been sounding alarm bells with the government for 8 years!
Imagine all the preventative measures that could have been taken during those 2,918 days. It’s safe to say that we would not find ourselves in the present situation if successive governments had taken action.
For all these reasons, here is my New Year’s wish: that the government realizes the consequences that the shortage of qualified school support staff has on us, and on anyone who uses the system. This is the message we will be conveying on Quebec radio stations between December 28, 2021, and January 3, 2022.
Finally, I want to wish you a wonderful holiday season. Once again, this one will take place in the context of a pandemic, but I hope you have many moments of joy despite this because we all deserve it!
Happy Holidays!
Éric Pronovost
President