Speaker, my question to the Premier: Yesterday, Ontario’s lowest-paid education workers—educational assistants, custodians and early childhood educators—told the government to get serious about negotiating a fair deal. But instead of respecting the process, today the education minister will move to impose a contract on these workers and ban their right to strike. His actions have brought us to the brink of disruption in our schools. He is creating an unnecessary crisis for families and for education workers.

Will the Premier stop these reckless actions and get back to the bargaining table today?

Education workers are integral to our schools, but because of chronically low wages, half have been forced to take a second job just to make ends meet, and a quarter have either cut back on purchasing food or have had to use a food bank. Does the Premier think it’s acceptable to pay education workers so little that they have to rely on food banks?

Last year, the government posted a $2.1-billion surplus, and the Financial Accountability Office has projected that this government will run surpluses for the next six years, totalling about $25 billion. But at the bargaining table, the minister says the cupboard is bare for Ontario’s lowest-paid education workers. Education workers support students and schools every day, but this government would rather cry poor than pay them a fair wage and protect education.

Why is this government so intent on shortchanging our schools and our education workers?

We are committed to keeping children in class. We made a clear commitment to the people of this province that we will stand up and ensure kids are in school without disruption right to June. Nothing should get in the way of that commitment. Mr. Speaker, we gave the union an opportunity, and with great regret they said no. They are going to proceed with the strike on Friday and impose further hardship on the children we all represent.

We have to speak for kids in this debate. We have to give them a voice in this discussion. We have to ensure they are able to be in the classroom learning the fundamentals they have missed over the past two to three years, keeping in mind, Speaker, that just three years ago they faced union-driven strikes and then a global pandemic. We are going to do everything possible, as we have to date, to ensure children remain in class—

Interjection.

When you hear these stories of individual children and the plight they have faced over the past years, it is incumbent on everyone in this Legislature to ensure that they are in a classroom, supported, loved and cared for by their educators and with their friends. Our plan to catch up is premised on keeping them in the classroom. So yes, Speaker, we are going to stand up and ensure children remain in school without disruption right to June.

Interjection.

Mr. Speaker, when we gave the union an offer to avert a strike, to withdraw their commitment to strike on Friday, they regrettably doubled down on their demand for a nearly 50% increase in pay—a $19-billion increase for the taxpayer when applied sector-wide, because we know whatever we do with education workers becomes the minimum standard with our educators and those unions. So, Speaker, we brought forth a reasonable offer that preserves in-class learning and protects the rights of children to learn. We’re going to continue to do everything possible to keep kids in the class.

But what we will not accept is a strike on children after this global pandemic and recent strikes by the unions just two to three years ago. Children should be in the classroom, and our government will do everything possible and take the action that families want to keep their kids in front of their teachers in the classroom in every region of this province.

Interjections.