VICTORIA – New Democrat leader John Horgan and education critic Rob Fleming issued the following statement in response to today’s developments in teacher bargaining:

“Premier Clark has no credibility on public education with teachers or parents. For 12 years this government has made B.C. classrooms harder to learn in and harder to teach in.

“Today we heard from the education minister that despite months at the bargaining table, the B.C. Liberal government is not only unable to find a fair settlement with teachers, but it has tabled what is essentially its final position and is now content to have students out of classrooms for “quite a while.”

“Moreover, the Clark government remains fixated on trying to persuade the public that this negotiation is about teacher pay, when it is clear to everyone else that what government has to do is fix classroom size and composition in the interests of all students and parents.

“Premier Clark broke her promise last weekend that her team would negotiate 24/7 towards a fair settlement. Students and parents can’t afford for her to fail again.

“That’s why New Democrats fully support the call for an independent mediator to step in and help provide both parties with the means to move forward and reach an agreement that puts B.C. kids back in school.

“It’s time for an independent mediator to step in, take the public politics out of this dispute, and help B.C. teachers finally reach a fair and sustainable settlement.”