French-language teachers' strike gives 275,000 students day off

French-language school teachers across the province held a one-day strike on Wednesday over stalled contract talks with the Quebec government.

The one-day strike involves34,000 teachers and affectsroughly 275,000 students across Quebec.

• A guide to today's French-language teachers' strike
• Quebec's English school board teachers' 1st strike day likely in late October

Catherine Renaud, theunion president at the Commission scolaire de Montral (CSDM), said negotiationswith the Quebec government are going nowhere.

"We have 55 demands," she told CBC News."The government has 58 demands, and we have zero agreements with the government.Our positions are opposed at the bargaining table."

Public-school teachers have been without a contract since April.

Renaud said the government wants to increaseclassroom sizes, freeze salaries and cut services for students with special needs.

Thousands of teacherstook part ina lunchtime rally in Montreal's Victoria Square as part of the strike.

They are promising to hold at least two more strike days in October.

Parents look for solutions

Parentswereforced to come upwith creative childcare solutions with schools in the French-language system closed.

Eve Kirlin, a parent with four children at CSDM schools, told CBC Montreal's Daybreakshe was able to find a daycare centre for the day.

She believes the strike is another way for teachers to make the case that things need to change in the province's public education system.

"There's less and less investment and more and more cuts every year," said Kirlin,who is also vice-presidentof communications on the CSDM's parents' committee.

"It's affecting the children. It's affecting the teachers."

Kate Sterns, who has two children in the school board, said she definitely supports the teachers, but "whether I support the strike is a little bit more muddy."

She saidteachers and support staff need tofigure out a way to best use the funds available.

"There are so many conflicting issuesabout the organization of resources," Sterns said.

Strike possible on English side next month

Parents of students in English-language schools won't have to deal with a teachers' strike for several weeks.

Their unions have said the first of six non-consecutive strike dates likely would not happen before the federal election.

Parents will have a week's notice to plan ahead.

Over the last several weeks, union members at English-language school boardshave been votedoverwhelmingly in favour of a strike mandate.