Dear Editor:
An open letter to George Abbott, minister of education: I heard the other day on CBC that you would be willing to go to court if necessary to stand up for teachers who are being bullied. Thank goodness, because we really need you right now. Teachers all across the province are being bullied by a pair of thugs. It seems that these two thugs have been:
? Illegally tearing up contracts (again).
? Violating teachers' Charter rights (again).
? Abusing power to create some of the worst labour laws in the history of Canada (again).
? Closing school libraries, laying off specialist teachers and dangerously overburdening school counsellors.
? Taking the most decent, passionate and caring teachers who give so much of their own time voluntarily to their students and attempting to run their reputations into the ground.
? Using a labour dispute to distract the public while removing class size limits, guaranteed funding for special needs students and safeguards for classroom composition.
? Taking one of the best education systems in the world and running it into the ground to promote a neo-liberal plan to privatize public services.
George, as the minister of education your job is to act as a steward for public education. I know you won't stand for this.
As one of those teachers who regularly gives up his weekend, who gives over $1,000 a year of his take-home pay to try to bridge the funding shortfall and meet the needs of his students, I'm so very glad that you've publicly decided to step forward.
These two bullies are named Abbott and Clark. Any help you can offer to put them in their place would be greatly appreciated.
Ian Cunliffe, teacher at Sherwood Park elementary North Vancouver
