Supreme Court decision a big win for B.C. children

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Rear view of a little school children raising their hands in the classroom

VICTORIA— The Supreme Court of Canada has upheld a B.C. court decision which found that the Christy Clark government deliberately tried to provoke a strike with B.C. teachers for political gain while leaving children undersupported in overcrowded classrooms, says B.C. New Democrat Leader John Horgan.

“This ruling is a big win for British Columbian children, who have been learning in overcrowded and underfunded classrooms under the Christy Clark government,” said Horgan. “This all started with Christy Clark as education minister ripping up contracts, and it continued with her deliberately trying to provoke a strike for her own political gain in the lead up to the last election.

“After this strong rebuke from the Supreme Court of Canada, there is no question that Christy Clark deliberately attacked and undermined public education in British Columbia – even to the point of breaking the law.

“Christy Clark needs to apologize to parents, teachers, and especially the generation of B.C. children who have spent their time in overcrowded and undersupported classrooms.”

As a result of the win, the Supreme Court of Canada reinstated language in the collective agreement between B.C. teachers and the government respecting maximum class size and rules about composition.

“B.C. teachers have been vindicated after 14 years of being attacked by Christy Clark for standing up for fair working conditions that benefit B.C. children. In that time, B.C. has gone from second best to second last in the country for education funding,” said B.C. New Democrat education spokesperson Rob Fleming. “They deserve a hearty congratulations for their hard-fought win.”