Vote for Public Education

August 15, 2011

Over the past year, there has been a resurgence of right-wing ideology, state and national governments across the globe are imposing severe measures that are gutting public education and public services.

Collective bargaining rights are under attack; trade union rights are under attack; and public education is under attack everywhere!

In the United States, the UK, and Australia, there is a relentless drive to privatize education under the guise of choice and accountability. You and I know that there is only one true motivation for privatizing education and it is not, it is not, the well-being of students, or building a stronger society – it is a financial gain, it’s about making a profit from the education of children.

Frankly, this is unacceptable and appalling!

The outcome of this election will have a profound effect on the future of publicly funded education in Ontario. All of the parties are making promises, some of the numbers don't add up, most of the commitments are pretty vague; so, what's a voter to do? What's this union to do?

This Federation, must, and will be fully engaged in the political process. Our members, our students deserve nothing less.

We have surveyed each of the parties for their responses to key issues and we will publish those responses to assist our members and the general public in deciding how to cast their ballot. We will implement a very innovative and thought-provoking media campaign that promotes the importance of a strong public education system.

We will utilize social networking and create a website to encourage members and the public to vote for the continuance of a high-quality, publicly funded education system. 

So how does one know who to support? You know, at ETFO, we are often reminded that the best predictor of future behaviour is past behaviour. In this election we are choosing a candidate for a very important job; serving as Premier is no simple task; we need to check résumés very, very carefully.

There are some who will question the appropriateness of the involvement of our union in the political process. It will be said and has been said that we don't really care about the quality of education, we only care about protecting the jobs of our members.

The truth of the matter is we care about both and we will fight for both, because one cannot exist without the other. It is the work of unions like ours that have reduced class sizes, enhanced supports for children, and ensured safe and healthy schools.  

We cannot, we cannot, afford to be bystanders in this election. We have to work hard to elect candidates with a track record of support for publicly funded education and who respect the professionalism of our members.

It’s no secret. I will tell you who I am voting for on October the 6th. I am voting for a candidate that has a strong record of support for public education. I am voting for a government that will build upon the good work and successes that we have seen in our schools.