Students right across Nova Scotia walked out of class to protest the government’s handling of the negotiations with the province’s teachers. The students4teachers walkout was the largest student walkout in the history of the province.
Teachers have twice rejected tentative agreements with the province. The main issues are class sizes, workload and the heavy handed approach the government has used during negotiations. On Saturday morning the government called the legislature into session and locked out the students from school on Monday. Teachers, who were set to begin work-to-rule actions on Monday, will still be required to come to work. The government says it is barring students from attending school over concerns for their safety. This is a transparent lie, if they cared about their safety they would not call a last minute school cancellation, but negotiate a fair deal with the teachers. The government looks set to use the impending chaos in the school system to push through a settlement via legislation.