Dear Brother Rivas:

On behalf of our 78,000 members in the Elementary Teachers' Federation of Ontario, I offer our solidarity and support during this difficult time. The violent attack on the Colombian Educators Federation headquarters is reprehensible. We echo the call from the FECODE for government security measures to protect the integrity of the Colombian teachers and their leaders.

I am encouraged to see negotiations advancing between the government and FECODE and wish you all the best in achieving a freely negotiated settlement that respects education workers and promotes public education in Colombia.