A union federation of teachers in Quebec is asking CEGEPs and universities to reconsider school trips to the United States amid monumental unrest and extreme international vulnerability and unpredictability.
“What’s going on in the U.S. now is really a threat, and we think that given that situation, trying to cross the border might put the staff and also the students at risk,” said Yves de Repentigny, vice president of the National Teachers’ Federation of Quebec (FNEEQ–CSN).
He points out that the federation is mostly concerned about safety, particularly for people of colour and members of the LGBTQIA2S+ community.
“We have to take into account the fact that, especially in the Montreal area, we’ve got a lot of people who are members of cultural communities, also from gender and sexual minorities, so they’re very much at risk because of the stances taken by the U.S. government,” said de Repentigny.
As such, the FNEEQ–CSN is encouraging teachers to plan trips either within Canada or overseas.
“There’s a question of safety, but there’s also the fact that the U.S. government is taking stances that are against our values,” said de Repentigny, adding that Toronto is a fitting alternative to New York. “We should vote with our money, to a certain extent, so we’ll spend our money elsewhere, so we’ll move our school trips to elsewhere in the world.”
He points out that though the federation has its beliefs, it is ultimately up to each institution to make its own decisions.
“We think that the Minister of Higher Education [Pascale Déry] and also the Fédération des CEGEPs, which represents local CEGEP management, should at least send some recommendations as to, you should avoid travelling to the U.S. as much as possible,” he said.
The FNEEQ–CSN states that it represents 85 per cent of CEGEP teachers in 45 unions, as well as 80 per cent of university lecturers and private school teachers at all levels.
Future trips
For its part, Dawson College states it has not issued any guidelines about travelling south of the border.
“There are no upcoming trips to the United States planned by Dawson College,” confirmed Christina Parsons, a communications advisor with the CEGEP.
Vanier College adds that it, too, has no upcoming travels planned to the U.S.
However, a group of 46 students recently came back from a trip to New York during spring break.
“Social science and science honour classes usually do a trip to New York City or Boston,” explains Marguerite Corriveau, noting that there were no issues and all the students returned safely. “It normally happens every year. It must have been planned in advance.”
Vanier says it does not currently have any official guidelines in place for future trips as it is awaiting news from the Fédération des CEGEPs.
“We will be taking and following their guidelines,” said Corriveau.
John Abbott College adds that its position is to follow federal travel advisories.
“As of the latest update, there are no current advisories for the United States,” explains Philippe Look, a communications counsellor and media relations officer for the school. “We continue to follow government-issued travel advisories closely.”
