VICTORIA— The B.C. Liberals’ lead negotiator in talks with B.C.’s teachers admitted in open court that the government planned to provoke a full-scale strike, keeping children home from school and interrupting their education in order to get public support for imposing legislation.

“For the last 12 years children have been cheated of the classroom conditions and specialized supports that they were entitled to under the contract that Christy Clark illegally ripped up in 2002,” said New Democrat Leader Adrian Dix. “The B.C. Liberals’ own negotiator admitted in open court that the government planned to throw families into chaos to create support for legislating teachers back to work on the government’s terms.

“The government needs to release the documents so parents can see what they did.”

Both Premier Clark and the education minister refused to stand and answer questions in the legislature, with the excuse that the matter is before the courts, yet just moments before walking into the house the minister was contesting the facts of the case to the media.

“It’s time for Premier Clark and the B.C. Liberal education minister to stop misleading the public about their plans to provoke a full-scale strike and shut down B.C. schools,” said New Democrat education critic Rob Fleming. “Families have waited long enough for answers from the B.C. Liberal government – it’s unacceptable to contest the court ruling on the radio and on TV, and then to hide behind the courts in the legislature.”

Attachment: hansard-blues-re-testimony-government-negotiator-straszak