Keep English boards

Recently, Action démocratique du Québec leader Mario Dumont popped off with a campaign promise that has little basis in reality. After all, it was a weekday.

This particular promise was one that West Island anglophones have to be a little wary of; the promise to eliminate school boards. This is an idea that Dumont espoused in an effort to woo voters with promises of smaller government, a less-bloated civil service and more return on the tax dollar. Not a bad idea, but taking away one of the few community institutions anglophones have left is not the way to go about it.

Who will call for more schools when demographic shifts show a higher concentration of English-student needs? Who will look after English education in the province? And who will anglophones turn to in their communities if school management is centralized from Quebec City?

It’s a notion best left on the sidelines.