Teachers who discourage youth should be 'killed, massacred,' Liberal minister says

Quebec's provincial minister for democratic reformsays she should not have told a group of youth that teachers who discourage students should be "killed" and "massacred."

Rita De Santis was telling them about her experience as an 11 year-old immigrant student, recently arrived in Montreal from Italy.

She said her teacher told her, "dear, you're never going to succeed in life. You speak with an Italian accent. So forget it."

Then she told the high school students, "all people who speak to a child like she spoke to meshould be killed, massacred, thrown away, I don't know where or I can't say."

The comments elicited giggles from the crowd.

She later apologized via Twitter, saying in French "this morning, my words went beyond my thoughts and I apologize, I strongly condemn violence in all its forms."

She also tweeted that as a minister, she should be setting a better example.

After the event, the MNA for Bourassa-Sauv said she's an "emotional person" butshouldn't have used such strong language.

However, she didnot back away from the heart of her comments.

"I want us to encourage children. Never to tell them 'no.' And if it's no, that it comes with an explanation. That's simply why I reacted like that," she said.

It's not the first time de Santis has found herself in hot water over her choice of words.

In April she was criticized for describing the Quebec Liberal Party fundraising goal of $150,000for cabinet ministers as "peanuts" compared to other countries.