An Assault on Collective Bargaining, a Degradation of Justice and an Attack on Youth

Statement of the Communist Party, British Columbia

The Communist Party condemns Bill 22 as an assault on Collective bargaining, a degradation of the judicial system and a threat to democracy in British Columbia. In one stroke this failed and doomed Liberal government has violated the right to negotiate, to withdraw labour, and to exercise the franchise of citizenship in a democratic society. They have changed the meaning of the word “mediate” to “enforcement” and degraded the numerous court victories of the BC Teachers with legislation that is in opposition to the Teachers, the Court decisions, their own Labour Board, any sense of human decency and most important of all the quality of life and education of BC children. Twice the Supreme Court has ruled anti-worker legislation of this government illegal.


The use of BC children, their Teachers and the public school system as an anti-labour bludgeon in the ongoing attack on the entire Public Sector exposes the underbelly of an anti-people pro-corporate government that must be defeated. The resource extractors can plunder and destroy ecology with government subsidies but the Teachers Federation will be fined $1.3 million a day if they fight for collective bargaining, the rights of children and democracy. Their officers and stewards can be fined $2500 per day and each individual $475 dollars per day. Collectively this comes to over $5 million dollars per day. This is not merely punitive legislation it is the financial expression of class hatred.

The Communist Party compliments the BC Federation of Labour its affiliates and Labour Councils who stand in solidarity with BC Teachers. The Communist Party supports Labour and stands also with the 41,000 Teachers and their families who are on the front line in the struggle for collective bargaining, democracy and young people.  We also stand in solidarity with the 12,000 students who have committed themselves to rally in support of the Teachers on Friday in Vancouver. We are convinced that the majority of BC citizens want justice for Teachers and quality education for their children and that their support will grow as the implications of the draconian eighteenth century Bill 22 becomes more widely known.