Mr. Speaker, we are looking forward and planning for changes to demographics as educators retire and as the population rises. That’s a responsible action of government. It’s a wake-up call to the NDP.

This government started, three years ago, to cut certification times for new educators by 50%, which the members opposite opposed.

We hired 2,000 net new teachers this year. The members opposite, supported by the Liberals, opposed that effort as well.

We also created a transitional certificate to allow teacher candidates to work in schools, but that was opposed as well.

We have been systematic in reducing red tape, increasing access to certified, qualified educators, which is why we abolished regulation 274. That allows the best educator to get the job—not those based on seniority.

By the member’s logic, if the Premier is responsible for this change, then I suppose in your supplementary you’ll condemn the BC NDP Premier. In their province, the teachers’ federation calls it a crisis of teacher—

Mr. Speaker, every effort we have taken has been opposed by the Liberals and the New Democrats, and that seems inconsistent with our collective responsibility to ensuring qualified educators.

If the logic of the members opposite is that government is responsible for the exodus of individuals from the workforce, then they will condemn the NDP Premier of BC. In their province, the teachers’ federation called it a crisis. The Liberal government in Newfoundland and Labrador is “scrambling” to fill dozens of teacher vacancies. It’s a national challenge, but this province, unlike the rest of the country, has a plan. Perhaps you should support it.