Liberals must get back to the bargaining table, resume meaningful negotiations today: NDP

On the first day of the Legislature’s fall sitting, Lisa Gretzky, the Ontario NDP Critic for Education and MPP for Windsor West, urged Premier Wynne to instruct her Education Minister to get back to the bargaining table and resume meaningful negotiations with teachers and education workers.

“Parents and students deserve stability in our children’s classrooms. But across Ontario, this Liberal government has left too many teachers and education workers without a contract for 379 days and counting,” Gretzky said. “Families deserve better. They deserve a government that doesn’t try to impose cookie-cutter deals and that never walks away from genuine and meaningful negotiations with our dedicated teachers and education workers. Will the Premier instruct her Education Minister to get back to the bargaining table today and get back to real negotiations?”

Kathleen Wynne dodged the question and refused to answer. Over the past year, her Liberal government has repeatedly failed to negotiate new collective agreements that protect the quality of education for Ontario's students and respect all of our dedicated teachers and education workers.

On Friday, the Liberals failed to reach an agreement with elementary teachers, allowing talks to collapse once again and creating renewed worry for parents and students across Ontario.

“The Premier should order her Education Minister back to the bargaining table today. That’s what parents and students expect. That’s what teachers and education workers deserve,” said Gretzky. “When will the Premier get back to negotiating in a meaningful and genuine way with thousands of teachers and education workers who have waited more than a year for the new contracts they deserve?”