A School Board of One

by J.J. Locke

I think there is a bad trend developing in Québec.

The Gouvernement du Québec seems to be ruling without wisdom.

First there was Bill 21, the Piss on Religions law. When the Québec government passed its ‘secularism law’ and invoked the notwithstanding clause it conveyed the message they don’t give a tourtiere for Québecers who are not of their stripe. They insisted, no visible signs of religion if you want a public service job.

And if the recent dialogue between Premier Legault and California Governor Gavin Newsom is any indication, it’s okay to be Catholic when the need arises. It was a sad sight.

With Québec’s passing of Bill 21 and the Government of Canada’s passing over of Bill 21, I don’t give the federal Charter of Rights and Freedoms much credence, especially when the federal government allows it to be trampled upon without raising an eyebrow. The Charter becomes useless hollow words when no one stands up for the noble rights it embraces. The Charter means nothing when governments cast it to the wind as if it were prairie dust in planting season.

Move ahead to Québec’s latest invasions upon the rights of citizens. What can be more important than electing the people of your choice to oversee the teaching of your children? I mean, electing school boards.

The future of our society depends on the well-meaning efforts of our elected school board officials.

When I witnessed and reported in 2015 that members of the English Montreal School Board(EMSB) were consuming wine at taxpayer expense during a meeting recess, I thought they ought be informed that this behaviour was unacceptable, and then they could move forward.

But alas, the current Government of Québec is using this example as one rationale for their latest foray into dictatorial governance: The suspension of the EMSB.

And rather than replace the board with an equal number of substitutes, they have replaced the entire board with one individual.

At present, the decisions and directives of the Board of One are nowhere to be seen. Though approval of contracts and other major determinations are made, at present no minutes or records are being publicly disclosed.

I am sure government administrator Marlene Jennings is a fine person. But there are clear signs that see is not the person I voted for. As she was anointed EMSB administrator, I know for a fact I did not vote for her.

On January 5, 2015, CBC radio morning man Mike Finnerty interviewed Jennings, a defeated Liberal Party member of parliament. Here is a portion of their discussion:

Finnerty: There was an article a few months ago that suggested you’d had a meeting with Francois Legault.
Jennings: I did. I had two….Francois Legault on his part was trying to convince me to run for his party, to stand for his party….
Finnerty: So, did he convince you?
Jennings: Um, pretty much…I’m seriously considering his offer.
Finnerty: So you might stand for the Coalition Avenir Québec?
Jennings: I might.

For reasons unknown, she did not run in the last provincial election. Politics, it is a game for some folks. It evidently raises its ugly head every time I turn my head. Premier Legault is a crafty politician, who, obviously knows how to pick his people. He has picked Madame Jennings to replace my representative on the EMSB. He could have picked Mother Theresa and I would still be upset that my small expression of opinion, my vote, has been cast aside so the CAQuistes can make a beachhead on the island of Montreal.

But the thing that bothers me most is something that Marlene Jennings thinks is unimportant.

In a recent Tweet, Jennings was responding to a journalist who did not receive a Christmas postcard from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his lovely family. Jennings offered her postcard to the journalist in consolation. But here is the kicker.

“I’m really not a big lover of kids,” wrote the sole English Montreal School Board administrator.

You just lost my vote of confidence Marlene.

Montreal School Board Coup d’état

Events in my life happen for a reason. For example…

The first time I went to vote at an English school board election in Montreal(2007), I was told I was not on the list of voters and could not vote. Subsequently, I learned that I was on the voters’ list — the French school board voters’ list. Tabernacle!

I was informed by a school board commissioner that in Quebec, people are automatically thrust onto the French voters’ list, unless they specifically in writing request to be put on the English list. I see.

What I saw was a calculated effort to deny my peeps the right to be counted. The right to vote for my people. Canada’s, albeit flawed, constitution protects this right.

And thus, I made an application to be put on the English voters’ list by taking my application to the English Montreal School Board. I felt relieved. That is, until the next school board election where I discovered I was still on the French voters’ list. Seemingly, there was no record of my written request. Surprise?

Fastforward to 2014, when I attended an English Montreal School Board meeting. Watching the trolley being wheeled into the recess room, where the commissioners were holding their break, the tall bottles of wine stood out prominently. I wrote about this, and made my concerns widely known. But I never calculated what the current government would do.

I felt really good knowing that I was able to finally vote for the person of my choice in a school board election. I know how important education is to our society, not to mention to boys and girls.

The rug was about to be once again pulled out from under me.

The current Quebec government, under the Coalition Avenir Quebec party leadership of Francois Legault, a former education minister in the separatist Parti Quebecois party, hatched a way to undermine my vote. Crafty fellows they are.

The first plot was to eliminate school boards entirely by replacing them with gerrysquandered service boards, largely controlled by the provincial government. Damn the constitution, they said. Only parents would be allowed to vote in their renovated elections. I think someone really doesn’t want me to vote.

When this plan met firm opposition, they moved to Plan B.

They decided to put the entire school board under trusteeship, and replace the wine drinkers with a single royal personage. But I voted for someone else! I want my vote to be honoured.

Alas, democracy is too much to ask in this increasingly nutty place.