Jacques Boissinot The Canadian Press “As my wife often tells me: to the impossible, no one is bound, so we will try to do it as soon as possible,” said François Legault.
Prime Minister François Legault claimed not to be “dogmatic” on Wednesday, explaining the postponement to 2029-2030 of his goal of delivering 2,600 4-year-old kindergarten classes. “We are pragmatic,” he said, pointing to the shortage of teachers and the lack of space in schools.
“I want all parents to have access to a 4-year-old kindergarten, said Mr. Legault in a press scrum. Now, as my wife often tells me: no one is obligated to the impossible, so we will try to do it as quickly as possible. »
François Legault was answering a question about whether his seat was still in play on this issue, as he said during the 2018 election campaign. The day before, his Minister of Education, Bernard Drainville, had announced in an interview to TVA Nouvelles that it was postponing the delivery of 2,600 4-year-old kindergarten classes from 2025-2026 to 2029-2030.
On Wednesday, Minister Drainville said he didn't make the decision lightly. “I believe in 4-year-old kindergarten,” he insisted in the press scrum.
“Today, there are almost 1,600 4-year-old kindergarten classes”, underlined the elected, who also assures that his government will continue to put them in place. “This year, we will create a hundred, according to the projections that have been given to us. »
Prime Minister Legault for his part reiterated that his priority was education. “When a child has learning difficulties, a 4-year-old kindergarten who is in an elementary school where there are speech therapists and remedial teachers, I find that it is good for these children. »
A “lack of vision”, says the opposition
In the Blue Room, the interim leader of the Liberal Party of Quebec, Marc Tanguay, has accused François Legault of “lacking vision”. “He often makes promises that don't have enough thought,” he said.
Quebec solidaire co-spokesperson Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois called the commitment caquiste of “poorly put together” and “poorly organized” “Bernard Drainville's decision is a total disavowal of Mr. Legault's obsession with four-year-old kindergartens,” he said earlier in a press briefing.
For his part, PQ MP Pascal Bérubé argued that François Legault's project was “never a good idea”. “We were never proponents of four-year-old kindergarten. We are the early childhood centers [that we favor], it is known, ”he continued.
