The Ontario Secondary School Teacher's Federation (OSSTF/FEESO) announced their endorsements for candidates in the upcoming June 2 provincial election.
They endorsed every NDP Candidate in Waterloo region except Cambridge candidate Marjorie Knight. The teacher’s organization instead went with her Liberal counterpart Surekha Shenoy.
In endorsing all five candidates, OSSTF/FEESO President Karen Littlewood highlighted the need for Ontario to elect “education-friendly candidates that will strengthen critical public services, support publicly-funded education, and invest in Ontario’s future.”
Littlewood said Shenoy's platform fit better with what OSSTF was trying to achieve in repairing Ontario’s education system.
“We met with all of the local candidates and told them our platform and hoped it would be reflected in their platform as well and we saw that with the NDP and the Liberals,” said OSSTF/FEESO President Karen Littlewood.
The local members interviewed each of the candidates and they decided that Shenoy was the candidate that would help advance their cause.
Littlewood stressed that the Conservative party has done nothing but cut services for the education system and hurt families across Ontario.
“We have had enough of Ford’s cuts and false promises, gimmicks and slogans and jargon and mismanagement, especially during the global pandemic,” said Littlewood.
Littlewood said that the Conservative party refused to meet with them as they were deciding who to endorse.
According to OSSTF, which represents 60,000 teachers, educational assistants and professional support services personenel across the province, one of the main pillars to their agenda is addressing the school repair backlog to make schools a safe and comfortable place for educators and students alike.
Littlewood said the backlog is approaching $17 billion and is hopeful that all of the endorsed candidates will fight to get the funding to address these issues.
Marjorie Knight did not respond to requests for comments about not being endorsed by OSSTF.
