The leader of Ontario's NDP is calling on the government to fire the Education Minister as teachers' unions ramp up job action.
Andrea Horwath is calling on Doug Ford to hit the reset button on education negotiations by removing Minister Stephen Lecce, and giving a new minister a new mandate.
“As premier, the buck stops with Doug Ford. He is the only one that can end these strikes and get our kids back in the classroom where they belong,” said Horwath. “Mr. Lecce has further poisoned the relationship with the teachers, the unions at the bargaining table, and the province’s parents and students.
“That’s why I’m now calling on Doug Ford to hit the reset button. Fire Stephen Lecce. And give a new Minister of Education a new mandate to bargain a deal that does not include cuts to classrooms.”
Horwath said that, like Ford, Lecce has demonized education workers, ramped up the rhetoric and dug in his heels on the cuts to children’s education.
The impact, she said, is a bad relationship that’s a roadblock to a deal — which means more missed school days for students.