In a move that’s shocking even by this government’s standards, Quebec’s CAQ government yet again invoked closure to pass through a controversial bill – this time eliminating school boards across the province.
During the election, the CAQ promised to . . .
abolish school boards and replace them with “service centres” – a nebulous idea that no party representative could clearly articulate. Well, the CAQ government made good on that promise on Feb. 8 in the wee hours of the morning when it passed Bill 40.
After introducing more than 160 amendments, the government invoked closure to force a vote at 3:21 a.m.
This government has shown time and again that it doesn’t care for democratic passage of legislation as this is now the fourth time it has invoked closure since it took power just under a year-and-a-half ago.
Closure is a mechanism the government can use to limit debate on a bill and force a vote in the legislature. This government has also used it to pass its immigration reform bill, its controversial religious symbols ban, and to freeze hydro rates in the province.
The government’s Education Minister, Jean-François Roberge, said there was no choice but to invoke closure because there had already been 60 to 70 hours of debate on the bill.
Politicians love spewing platitudes about how our “children are the future,” yet when it comes to their education this CAQ government thinks it knows best and to hell with everyone else’s opinion.
One of the last-minute amendments – added to the bill shortly before the final vote – eliminated French school board commissioners effective immediately, backing off of a compromise to keep them in place until Feb. 29.
Even when the government makes a deal with a group, nothing is stopping CAQ leadership from turning its back and reversing course.
How can anyone put their trust in a government that acts this way?
Limiting debate on something as crucial as the role of school boards in the province’s education system is a sign that this government values ideology over democracy.
The optics of this couldn’t be worse. Adding more than 160 amendments shortly before limiting debate and forcing a vote – at 3:20 in the morning no less – only suggests that the government is trying to hide something.
Why is it so important to make a move so drastic right now at this exact moment?
The government accused the opposition of using stall tactics while they shot back that the government was the one slowing things down.
“The only person wasting time is the minister himself,” Liberal education critic Marwah Rizqy said. “He came unprepared every single day.”
It’s not surprising to hear that, considering the government’s track record.
This whole ham-fisted attempt to ram legislation through is just more of the same from a government that is actively thumbing its nose at the fundamental principles of our democracy – and they still have two-and-a-half more years.
Chris Lowrey
