- It's been one tough year under
the Ford Conservative regime.
With cuts to education funding
and more cuts and cancellations to public services,
life in Ontario has become much more difficult
for families and for workers.
No doubt, it's been a hard year for all of you.
With all of these challenges,
I want to say just how proud I am
of the work that you have done
to defend publicly funded public education.
Inside schools, just like this one behind me,
it's you, the teachers, early childhood educators,
educational support professionals,
and professional support personnel,
that spend hours and hours to prepare,
create and deliver high-quality education.
Know that you make a difference in the lives of students.
This year, we mobilized and engaged community members
to mount a fight back against cuts,
and I can tell you that it's working,
and it's gaining momentum.
Over a 100,000 people have joined us
to email their MPP about class size.
More than 30,000 attended the April 6th rally
at Queen's Park,
and thousands more across Ontario signed a petition,
attended a community rally, wore our button.
They also dressed in red on Fridays
and shared messages on social media.
Together, we took action and said no to cuts.
And for all of this,
for your work to defend and to deliver public education,
and for always going beyond, I want to thank you so much.
Our collective resistance to stand up for children
is making a difference.
After that last school bell rings in June,
please take the time to reenergize and recharge,
and then let's continue to talk to our neighbors and family.
Ask them to join the fight
and hold their local MPP accountable.
We must keep the pressure on because students are worth it.