Quebec’s CEGEP network stretched thin, unions warn
Matthew Daldalian, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Quebec’s CEGEP network is entering the new academic year with fewer staff, aging buildings, and more students than ever, a mix union leaders say is unsustainable.
From support workers to professional staff, those on the ground say they are being asked to do more with less as a government-imposed hiring freeze and budget reductions collide with steady growth in student enrolment.
Valérie Fontaine, president of the Fédération du personnel de soutien de l’enseignement supérieur (FPSES-CSQ), said more than around 50 positions have already been cut in the 13 colleges her federation represents. “For sure it’s gonna bring some work overload for those people still there,” she said. “You cannot have people to do more with less resources.”
Support roles disappearing
The positions being lost are not just administrative jobs, Fontaine said, but front-line roles that directly serve students. Recreation technicians, social work technicians, laboratory staff, and special education workers have all been affected. “Those are all positions that give direct services to the students,” she said. “So, for sure there’s gonna be an impact.”
The cuts come as CEGEPs are welcoming more students with special needs than in the past. Fontaine noted that while some schools once served just a handful of students requiring accommodations, many now have a large population.
Aging infrastructure
Physical infrastructure is also showing its cracks. Fontaine said many colleges have long delayed necessary repairs, with two-thirds of campuses reporting urgent needs last year. But the freeze has tied their hands even further. “Last year we weren’t even able to buy books,” she said. “Imagine working in a CEGEP without being able to buy books— it makes no sense for us.”
Laboratories and classrooms are also increasingly ill-suited for modern learning. Fontaine warned that without proper funding, equipment and facilities will only fall further behind.
Professional staff under pressure
For professional staff, who provide psychological services, academic guidance, and counselling, the situation is just as dire. “If a CEGEP used to have three guidance counsellors and now we’re down to two, of course that will eventually have impacts,” said Éric Cyr, resident of the Fédération du personnel professionnel des collèges (FPPC-CSQ). He’s witnessed hiring restrictions and cuts affecting nearly every role. “There’s a limit to what we can do.”
Cyr said the consequences are already clear: waiting lists for counsellors, students being redirected to the private sector, and heavier workloads for those who remain. “The worst consequence that could happen is that students would not have what they need to persevere and get a diploma,” he said.
Professionals are already reporting increased pressure to do more with less, a situation Cyr says may lead to burnout, sick leave, or resignations. The result, he warned, is fewer services precisely as student numbers climb.
A growing student body
At the same time, enrolment is climbing. Both Fontaine and Cyr stressed that student numbers are rising steadily, with this fall marking one of the largest increases yet.
“We don’t have money, they’re gonna have less services, and we have more students,” Fontaine said. “We need space because we’re lacking space toot.”
Cyr agreed, pointing out that today’s CEGEP students often arrive with a wider range of learning needs than in past generations. “Many students now come to CEGEP who would not have been in the system 30 years ago,” he said. “Professional services are really needed in great numbers if we want to keep these students getting diplomas and succeeding.”
Even the Centrale des syndicats du Québec’s (CSQ) president, Éric Gingras, described in a press release the situation as part of “the slow erosion of a network once considered a Quebec treasure,” adding that elected officials appear “completely indifferent.”
Extra strain on English CEGEPs
For English-language colleges, an added pressure comes from Law 14, which expanded French language requirements in 2022. Cyr said complying with the law has created “a lot of extra work” for staff, just as resources shrink. “Now there’s gonna be less resources for our colleagues in the English CEGEPs to do that work,” he said.
Morale and mental health
Both leaders flagged staff morale as a growing problem. Fontaine noted that while support workers are dedicated to their colleges, rising workloads risk pushing many out of the system, with mental health concerns at the forefront.
Cyr said professional staff are in the same position. “We will do everything we can to give great services and help the students,” he said. “But eventually something will have to give.”
Calls for change
Union leaders say the quickest step would be to lift the hiring freeze so that vacancies from retirements, sick leave, or departures can be filled. Fontaine argued it is unreasonable to expect colleagues to cover the work of three positions. “It’s not normal for the colleague to take all the jobs,” she said.
Cyr said the priority should be restoring depleted counselling and psychology positions, which he called essential to student success. “Direct services that are now impacted since last May— those would have to be the priority if we want all these new students to have a good experience with CEGEPs and stay there and get a diploma,” he said.
For both Fontaine and Cyr, the message is the same: Quebec’s CEGEP network cannot keep doing more with less.
The FPPC-CSQ represents over 2,200 professional staff across 38 CEGEPs in Quebec. It is affiliated with the Centrale des syndicats du Québec.
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