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On September 11, 2024, the New Brunswick Teachers Association (NBTA) issued a Press Release proposing a two-fold solution to teacher shortages and record staffing challenges and seeking political commitments to solutions.
Recently, People’s Alliance Leader Rick DeSaulniers and Sterling Wright, Candidate for Carleton-York, were honored to meet with members of the NBTA for meaningful dialogue around the issues and proposed solutions.
We were pleased to discover that we are largely on the same page concerning what the issues are and what needs to happen to retain current educators, attract educators to the field and facilitate their path to certification, identify and offer early support networks and programs, and improve the workplace safety and work environment. What we found surprising, is that these are the same concerns named ten years ago. These are the same concerns that stakeholders have been begging for action on. There is nothing new or revolutionary involved.
Considering this, the People’s Alliance has a few questions:
- Why have neither the Liberals nor the PC’s taken action to address these issues in the past ten years? What has Higgs done besides trying to eliminate French Immersion and throwing teachers into the line of fire for his government’s policy decisions?
- What will make the Liberals and their new Leader, Susan Holt, act any differently than the last three Liberal Premiers have done?
- And … Why should we believe that this time will be any different?
We don’t need another 10-year plan or another lot of election promises that never bear fruit. We must listen to what is required, provide the necessary tools and resources, and then get out of the way and let our teachers teach.