The Ontario legislature ejected a Newmarket High School teacher today over comments made regarding the ongoing labour dispute with education workers.
Ontario Secondary School Teachers' Federation representative Jo-Anne Mathon attended the legislature as debate waded into the provincial back-to-work legislation, which will impose a contract with education workers as they threaten to strike starting Nov. 4.
In a video posted on Twitter, Mathon said she stood up while Minister of Education Stephen Lecce was speaking, alleging he made “awful untruths about students.”
“I could not stand it anymore,” she said, adding that she told them “that they were destroying public education.”
D16 Teacher and OSSTF Provincial Councillor was escorted out of the Legislature today. Find out why:@JojoWolf67 #osstf #onted #onpoli #EnoughIsEnough #LiarLecce pic.twitter.com/y5CLSY9qZQ
— OSSTF D16 T/OT (@osstfd16t_ot) November 2, 2022
The province and education workers union, CUPE, are far apart on wage increases. That prompted CUPE to make a strike threat, with the province responding with back-to-work legislation that will evoke the notwithstanding clause to protect against legal challenges under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
The debate has been heated in the provincial legislature throughout the day, with reports of NDP MPPs also being ejected for heckling and insults over the government’s legislation.
Mathon was ejected by the speaker of the house after shouting to Lecce, “You’re lying. I have been a teacher for 30 years and you are destroying public education.” She was also wearing purple, worn by others as a protest colour.
Lecce said that the legislation is necessary to keep students in class after years of pandemic disruption and has called for CUPE to withdraw the strike threat for negotiations to continue.
“I’m again calling on CUPE to immediately withdraw this strike and work with us to keep kids in the classroom,” Lecce said in a statement on social media today. “Otherwise, to make sure schools don’t close, we have no choice but to proceed with legislation.”
But despite the threat of legislation, CUPE has maintained it will go ahead with a strike without a negotiated agreement.
York Region District School Board formally declared today that its schools will close on Friday, after earlier hinting at that possibility. It said asynchronous learning will occur for students who regularly attend in person, but the closure will not affect virtual schools. Full-day child care programs will also operate normally but close by 4:30 p.m.
“We recognize this situation is disappointing for all involved. This was not an easy decision to make; your child’s safety continues to be our first priority,” the board said.
York Catholic District School Board has already indicated its schools will close if a strike goes ahead, and it will communicate to confirm that Friday morning.
