Media Advisory - Education in the Outaouais - Unions provide an update on the situation in the region's schools

GATINEAU, QC, Sept. 16, 2026 /CNW/ -- Union representatives from the education sector will hold a press briefing to present an update on the situation at the Western Québec School Board, as well as at the Draveurs and Portages-de-l'Outaouais school service centres.

Spokespersons will address issues such as the number of vacant positions, resources available to students with disabilities or social, emotional, or learning difficulties (HDAA), the aging condition of school facilities, and funding for the education system.

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WHAT:     Press briefing on the situation within the education system in the Outaouais region

WHO will be speaking:

• Valérie Fontaine, 2nd Vice-President, Centrale des syndicats du Québec (CSQ)
• Éric Pronovost, President of the School Support Staff Federation (SSSF-CSQ)
• Rémi Fortin, Vice-President of the Fédération du personnel professionnel de l'éducation (FPPE-CSQ)
• Heidi Yetman, President of the Association provinciale des enseignantes et des enseignants du Québec (APEQ)

WHO will also be present to answer questions:

• Kim Lafleur Lauriault, President of the Syndicat du soutien scolaire de l'Outaouais (SSSO-CSQ)
• Annie St-Pierre, President of the Syndicat du personnel professionnel du milieu scolaire de l'Outaouais (SPPMSO-CSQ)
• Geneviève Forget, President of the Association des enseignantes et des enseignants de l'Ouest du Québec (WQTAEOQ)

WHEN:     September 17, 2026, at 10:30 a.m.

WHERE:   Parc Robert-Stewart, near the école primaire des Cavaliers
                 255, chemin Robert-Stewart, Gatineau (Québec)  J9H 0J3

Profile of the CSQ

The CSQ is the largest education union in Quebec. It represents members in all job categories, from early childhood education to higher education, across the entire school system.

The Centrale has 235,000 members; it comprises 11 federations that bring together some 240 affiliated unions, in addition to AREQ, the CSQ's retirees' organization. It is also active in the health and social services, municipal, recreation, culture, community, and communications sectors.

Profile of the SSSF-CSQ

The School Support Staff Federation (SSSF-CSQ) is the only federation in Quebec that exclusively represents school support staff. It is affiliated with the Centrale des syndicats du Québec (CSQ) and represents 81 job categories working in 25 school service centres and school boards and 20 affiliated unions.  In total, it represents more than 43,000 members.

Profile of the FPPE-CSQ

The Fédération du personnel professionnel de l'éducation du Québec (FPPE-CSQ) represents 19 unions comprising 12,500 members across virtually all of Quebec's school service centres and school boards--including French, English, Cree, and Kativik boards. Its membership includes various categories of personnel working in administrative roles (engineers, analysts, development officers, etc.), pedagogical roles (educational consultants, librarians, etc.), and direct student services (psychologists, psychoeducators, speech-language pathologists, guidance counsellors, remedial teachers, etc.).

Profile of the APEQ

The APEQ (QPAT) represents teaching staff from Quebec's English-language school boards and from the English-language schools of the Littoral School Board. It represents approximately 8,000 teachers across the province.

SOURCE Centrale des syndicats du Québec (CSQ)

Information: Éric Lévesque, Communications and Media Relations Advisor, Tel: [phone], Email: [email protected]; Martin Cayouette, SSSF-CSQ Press Officer, Tel: [phone], Email: [email protected]