Graham Hughes The Canadian Press Bernard Drainville, during a speech before the Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal, February 14
The Quebec Minister of Education, Bernard Drainville, deplores the “unacceptable” slowness of the delays of Immigration Canada which expelled a teacher of French origin working in Montreal North.
“We need arms in the education network and we can only reiterate that the slow delays at Immigration Canada are unacceptable,” laments Mr. Drainville, in a statement sent by his press officer, Florence Plourde.
On Friday, Le Devoir revealed that Sarah Chauveau, who has been teaching for four months at Sainte-Gertrude primary school, will soon return to France due to long delays in come to Quebec her husband. The latter has been waiting for six months for his electronic travel authorization, a mandatory document to board the plane and which allows him to land in Canada.
A solution must be found so that Ms. Chauveau can continue her work as a teacher in the province,” said the minister. The departure of the latter in the middle of the school year saddens her colleagues, her students and their parents.
In Quebec, the opposition parties are indignant in unison at this situation.
The interim leader of the Liberal Party of Quebec, Marc Tanguay, deplores the departure of a person who was “a plus” to Quebec society, because of Ottawa's laxity.
“The federal government must improve its processes, because stories like that, we can't afford to happen again,” he says. Especially since a labor shortage is rife in Quebec's public services, adds Mr. Tanguay.
For his part, the solidarity deputy Andrés Fontecilla maintains that these deadlines “must be shortened to max”. The school system needs people like Sarah Chauveau, who came to lend a hand, he argues.
According to Parti Québécois spokesperson Méganne Perry Mélançon, Ms. Chauveau's case is a further evidence of “Ottawa's incompetence”. “The shortage of teachers is real and we regret these delays,” she adds.
For its part, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada declined to comment on this particular case when it was interviewed by Le Devoir.
With Lisa-Marie Gervais
