Editor: This letter was sent to Education Minister Peter Fassbender:
As a parent of a young child in Langley School District #35, I am simply appalled by what has been going on in our government with respect to education. I just read your statement of appeal and I am disgusted. You are just spewing Premier Christy Clark’s rhetoric.
I thought a change of education ministers would improve the negotiations between teachers and the government, but it obviously hasn’t. I am amazed by the amount of money the government is willing to spend on lawyers’ fees in the courts, doing battle with the teachers.
The government is not willing to negotiate in “good faith” with the teachers. This is just part of Premier Clark’s agenda and it is becoming perfectly clear that you are just her puppet, willing to do her bidding.
The question is: How far are you willing to go in suppressing your moral conscience, which is telling you that the government policies which you condone are unconstitutional and wrong? The Supreme Court of B.C. has twice stated this, yet your government continues to believe it is above the law. So here we go again, wasting more tax money.
The last quote in your statement to the public says: “B.C.’s students are doing well because they have great teachers. Imagine how much better they could be doing if we were to achieve true collaboration at the bargaining table.”
As a parent, I am ashamed of the way the government has treated teachers over the last dozen years. If that’s how you treat “great teachers,” I sure wouldn’t want to be just a good teacher.
As far as collaboration is concerned, the judge herself said there hasn’t been any collaboration. She also indicated that you and the government just pass whatever law you want, including several bills that have been deemed unconstitutional.
I don’t know what you mean by “true collaboration” at the bargaining table, but I’d say teachers would settle for “fair bargaining.”
S. Gerbrandt,
Langley
