Bill 86 changes to come, Couillard spokesman says
Minister of Education Sébastien Proulx to make amendments after hearings
The Quebec government has confirmed changes are coming to Bill 86, the proposed school board reform which would abolish school board elections.
A spokesman for Premier Philippe Couillard said Education Minister Sébasatien Proulx has been considering the different points of view since hearings on the proposed legislation ended this week.
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"The minister of education is taking all of this into account and [is] going to make certain amendments to the bill," Couillard spokesman Harold Fortin told CBC News.
The contentious bill has faced especially fierce opposition from English school boards, which are concerned the changes would jeopardize the anglophone community's constitutional right as a language minority group to manage its own schools by electing representatives.
The province's legislative hearings into the bill began last month and more than 50 groups and individuals signed up to present their positions, including French and English school boards.
"We find Minister Proulx to be very open. He's opened the door for us to have dialogue with him and we've already had a meeting," said Jennifer Maccarone, president of the Quebec English School Boards Association.
But Maccarone said the QESBA was reserving any comment on changes to Bill 86 until the amendments were made clear.
"Until all of the details have been outlined, we remain cautiously optimistic."