In an interview with the Montreal Gazette, Stéphanie Vachon, a representative of the Early Childhood Education sector, spoke about the current state of childcare workers in Quebec and the ongoing negotiations with the Quebec government. “Right now, the government should ask us what it can do to keep the staff in place. We hope that this will put pressure to obtain more dates for negotiations, more serious discussions and a commitment from the employer to really resolve the staff shortage in the long term,” Vachon said.

During a rally in Montreal, Vachon further emphasized the importance for the Quebec government to recognize the vital work childcare workers conduct in the public sector. “I think there’s an emergency to react, for the government to realize that it’s a profession that needs to be respected,” said Vachon.

As of right now, the biggest concern for childcare workers in Quebec are salaries. According to Lucie Longchamp, vice-president of the FSSS, the average childcare worker in Quebec is paid between $42,000 and $44,000 per year. “It’s not a big sum of money for the important work they do. They make a big difference in children’s lives,” said Longchamp at the Montreal rally. “Children who are well-equipped in a quality educational service will enter school one step ahead. […] The network is suffering a great deal at the moment, and they need to understand that enough is enough.”

On the bargaining table, the Quebec government is offering childcare workers a 12.7 per cent pay increase over the next five years, while a counter-offer from public-sector unions demanded a 17.4 per cent raise over the same time.

Longchamp explained that the strike mandate will adapt to the context of the negotiations. The strike could shape into later daycare openings, earlier closures, or even full days’ absences. However, Longchamp made it clear that the strike would last up to five days. To provide fair warning and ensure parents are adequately prepared, strike dates and hours will be announced at least ten days in advance.

A province wide-strike in the childcare sector looms over Quebec in the month of November as negotiations continue between the CSN and the Quebec government. The future of childcare services in Quebec remain unknown.

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From January 31 through February 22, student associations at McGill and Concordia went on strike to fight back against the tuition hike. At McGill, the Geography; Religious Studies; and Sustainability, Science, and Society student associations went on strike, accumulating around 500 students according to McGill Undergraduate Geography Society (MUGS) co-president Emma Reddy. Concordia University’s strike saw around 12 student associations in attendance. During the striking period, many classes were cancelled, and those still held were often empty as students chose to miss class.

Prior to the striking days, SSMU and the Concordia Student Union (CSU) had a week of mobilization to prepare for the strike. On January 29, between 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., a banner and sign making workshop was held for students at the Hall Building on Concordia University’s campus. The following day, on January 30, there was a “Picketing 101 Workshop” from 3:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m., to prepare students for picketing their classes in the following days. Later that evening, from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., a “Revolutionary Solidarity Workshop” was held at Le Frigo Vert as part of the CSU’s “Get Radical,” series of community organizing workshops. During strike days, numerous workshops and screenings were put in place around the Concordia and McGill university campuses.

As the co-president of MUGS, Reddy took initiative to allow the Geography Department to strike at McGill University. She was approached by students in the Faculty of Geography on January 18 to discuss a possibility of a strike. On January 23, a general assembly was held to vote on a strike date, but there weren’t enough students present to hold a vote. On January 29, a second general assembly was held, and the motion to strike passed with many more students joining the vote.

“The purpose of the strike is to raise awareness about the tuition increase that the Government of Quebec is applying to future university students that wish to study in Quebec,” said Reddy. “Although this was a small strike, we hope to build momentum and visibility for other departments at McGill University to join in other strikes later in the year.”

After the recent tuition strike, there are talks of another strike that may occur in March, alongside the beginning of a social media campaign to continue fighting against the government’s tuition hike beginning next fall. On February 15, SSMU held a meeting to discuss the future of the fight against the tuition hike.

Ever since the strike, there have been many government officials who have spoken on the tuition hike and have shared their opinions on Legault’s decisions, one of them being Valerie Plante, the mayor of Montreal. During an interview with the Montreal Gazette, Plante revealed her concerns and opinions on the tuition increase.

“At this point, I think we need to keep in mind that though the government of Quebec decided to let go on their projects for Bishop’s University, which is in the Eastern Townships, it remains for the universities in Montreal. Why is it so?” Plante said. Bishop’s University has been excluded from the tuition increase, which has raised a lot of confusion amongst Montrealers.

“Anglophone universities contribute to society and they contribute to the entire university ecosystem whether it’s a francophone or anglophone university. So for me, I want the Government of Quebec to share with us why it’s okay for Bishop University not to have those rules and why it remains for the universities like McGill and Concordia, internationally known institutions. Why do they have to follow those lines?” Plante argued.

As the Fall 2024 semester is approaching, the new tuition guidelines are set to be soon implemented. Despite opposition from students and government officials, the future of anglophone universities’ tuition rates remain uncertain.

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