The President's Address #2
Emily Noble Says Goodbye to ETFO
I'm Emily Noble. This will be my second and last President's Address. I have served on the ETFO provincial executive for nine years, the last five years as your president. It has been a privilege and a joy to watch this organization evolve into the accomplished union that it is today.
Over these nine years, we have faced some daunting challenges, and I am proud that in every instance the federation has prevailed. Some of our successes include:
- The Accountability Yes: Recertification No! campaign to defeat the Harris government's Professional Learning Program. By remaining steadfast and united, we defeated this attack on our professionalism and today we are 'PLP free.'
- The end of the Ontario Teacher Qualifying Test-another misguided initiative by the Harris Tories.
- A revision of the Tories' Teacher Performance Appraisal process, which resulted in more manageable teacher evaluation procedures for our members.
- Campaign 200--the first-ever Provincial Bargaining Framework-which won us 200 minutes of preparation time, placed limits on supervision time, and established the Provincial Stability Commission to help implement four-year agreements. This campaign was a defining moment-achieving for every local what no local could have achieved on its own.
- The No Substitute for a Substitute Teacher campaign-which won similar gains for our occasional teacher members.
- And finally, the awarding of over 8 million dollars to ETFO by the provincial government to enhance our acclaimed professional development programs for members. What a terrific affirmation of our work in this area!
Another provincial election and the next round of bargaining are on the horizon, creating new challenges. An inexplicable funding gap remains between elementary and secondary education in this province. This gap devalues our work and short-changes our students. Meeting this challenge will require strong leadership and a strong sense of purpose at both the local and provincial levels.
At ETFO, we are leaders in every way. I am proud of the benchmarks that this organization has set. Our members have benefited from strong programs and good political leadership. We have had effective and principled executive members and dedicated local leadership teams. Our skilled, knowledgeable and committed staff have played a key role in making us the leading teacher union in Canada.
The struggle to improve the personal and professional lives of our members is never-ending. The challenge and the reward are that we make a difference. I look forward to continuing to serve you next year as President of the Canadian Teachers' Federation. Thanks for watching and enjoy a safe and restful summer holiday.