Quebec to mandate formal 'vous' in schools for respect. Teachers say leave it to us

Annabelle Olivier · CBC News

· Posted: May 03, 2025 4:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 12 minutes ago

Quebec Education Minister Bernard Drainville says helium wants to amended civility successful the province's schools by requiring students to code their teachers utilizing a title, specified arsenic Mr. oregon Ms., arsenic good arsenic the much ceremonial and polite signifier of 'you' successful French — vous rather than tu.

Schools volition besides person an work to formalize the worth of respect successful their codes of behaviour and parents volition have to motion that codification to guarantee they are alert of it. 

Using vous is simply a motion of respect, Drainville said during a Friday interview connected Radio-Canada's Tout un matin French vigor show. 

"I deliberation we request that successful schools close now," helium said, adding it's astir respecting adults and respecting one's relation and the instauration it represents. 

Drainville acknowledged that utilizing vous wasn't similar "waving a magic wand," but said it was lone 1 of galore measures to amended the clime successful schools crossed the province. The measurement came alongside the announcement of a full ban connected cellphones successful schools starting adjacent schoolhouse year. 

WATCH | The latest connected Quebec's program for a cellphone prohibition successful schools: 

'It should beryllium near up to each teacher' 

Robert Green, a social sciences teacher astatine Westmount High School on the land of Montreal, said the minister's announcement near him feeling frustrated. Ultimately, helium feels it should beryllium up to teachers to determine what they'd similar to beryllium called. 

"If a teacher feels that, I don't know, utilizing their archetypal sanction successful people helps them found a amended rapport with their students, that should beryllium up to their nonrecreational judgement to determine this," helium said. 

The Fédération des syndicats de l'enseignement (FSE-CSQ), a federation of unions representing immoderate 95,000 teachers successful the province, is of the aforesaid opinion. 

FSE-CSQ spokesperson Sylvie Lemieux said the federation wasn't against the usage of titles or vous, but said that it shouldn't beryllium mandated.

"It should beryllium near up to each teacher to found a narration with their students," she said.

Furthermore, astir teachers consciousness the usage of vous wouldn't bash overmuch to code the occupation of incivility successful schools, according to a survey conducted by the FSE-CSQ last year.

Of the much than 7,000 members who participated, lone six per cent felt it could beryllium an effectual measure.

The aforesaid survey recovered that 83 per cent of teachers judge that incivility has accrued implicit the past 2 years, with 56 per cent saying they experience incivility astatine slightest 1 to four times a day. Teachers besides judge that incivility affects students' concentration and reduces the clip spent connected learning.

More enactment for teachers, relation says

Green said helium feels determination are much meaningful ways to tackle the contented and that structural problems specified arsenic people size request to beryllium addressed. 

Large classrooms, with 33 students oregon more, tin beryllium hard to handle, helium said.

"When students are packed into classes similar that, behaviour issues inevitably originate ... and the quality of teachers to benignant of support way of pupil behaviour and adjacent found a rapport with students is diminished," Green said. 

Steven Le Sueur, president of the Quebec Provincial Association of Teachers, worries about enforcing the caller rules. 

"We're not successful the 1950s ... you're going to nonstop the kid location due to the fact that helium didn't accidental Sir oregon Mr.?" helium asked.

While Drainville said it would beryllium near up to schools to determine what benignant of subject should beryllium imposed for infringing the codification of conduct, Le Sueur said it could make much enactment for teachers.

"Unless we get enactment from the parents, administration, schoolhouse board, it's falling connected the teachers again. And it's not similar we don't person capable to do," helium said.