We are not talking about the ocean surf here. We are talking about the people Ontario premier Doug Ford seems to consider as his serfs. He doesn’t seem to understand that slavery has been illegal in Ontario for going on 200 years. He thinks he can threaten people with ridiculous fines for withdrawing their labour.
This might be the beginning of the second Upper Canada Rebellion. Bring your muskets and we will meet at Montgomery’s tavern. We can march down Yonge Street. We can start by offering solidarity with CUPE’s education workers. They were brave to tell the Ford government: “Hell, no.”
Mr. Ford needs to be advised that all education workers have rights. These are not just the right to strike for a fair wage. Like our Ontario nurses, they have the right to move to where they can be paid fairly.
While we certainly agree with the CUPE education workers that they are being undervalued and that Mr. Ford is nothing but a braggart and a bully, the real blame has to be laid on Ontario voters. Mr. Ford’s conservatives were re-elected by about 20 per cent of the eligible voters in the election. That was one voter in five who chose Mr. Ford. Mind you, what did you expect to happen when more than half of Ontario voters did not bother to vote?
I expect that more than half of the Ontario population are also deeply concerned about the children whose education has been cut short again. Children are resilient but remote learning is still not the solution for many. They need the expert guidance offered by trained teachers. They need to learn in an environment that is designed for that purpose. They need the encouragement of a professional to learn. The group interaction provides incentive. The interaction is also important to their socialization.
And there is one thing for sure, a college drop-out such as Doug Ford is not the person I would want directing my children’s education. Nor would I consider it a good idea to having a private-schooled minister of education such as Stephen Lecce.
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Copyright 2022 © Peter Lowry
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