Teacher cuts provoke sparring in question period

P.E.I.'s opposition parties spent most of their time in Tuesday's question period asking the Liberal government about cuts to teaching positions. 

"Question to the premier: you knocked on doors during the campaign. Can you tell this House how many people told you that Prince Edward Island needed fewer teachers?" asked Steven Myers, Official Opposition leader.  

But most of the questions were directed at Education Minster Hal Perry after the Liberal government cut 28 teaching positions in the provincial budget it delivered June 19.

There were also cuts to staff positions at the school board, and the department of education.

"How many teaching positions has the Liberal government eliminated over the past four years?" asked Myers. 

"Again, we're just doing what we can to maximize the effectiveness of the system. And we have to be careful with our budgets in this economy. I have to make sure that our education system remains sustainable," said Perry. 

The education minister was also questioned over comments he made during a news report on CBC PEI. He stated the latest cuts would have no impact on the ratio of students to teachers in the province.

But P.E.I. Teacher's Federation president Gilles Arsenault disagreed, saying the cuts were going to have a significant impact on the education system. 

"We need to make sure we protect every position that we have and we need to be able to protect our students," said Arsenault. 

Perry said the government understood there was a concern with class size and class composition. 

"We're working with the PEI Teachers Federation on that as we speak," said Perry. 

"We want to involve the parents, the communities, have all the stakeholders in to try to alleviate some of those pressures in the classroom."

Arsenault said the teacher's federation will continue to lobby government to reinstate teaching positions.

The opposition says it is was just beginning to debate the issue in the provincial legislature.