A national civil liberties group is joining the fight against a controversial bill by Ontario's cash-strapped government that would force a wage freeze and cuts to benefits on tens of thousands of teachers across the province.
The Canadian Civil Liberties Association echoed teachers' unions in condemning the legislation as unconstitutional and a violation of workers' rights across the province.
They're warning the governing Liberals not to proceed with the legislation that they're pushing through the legislature, or face the consequences in court.
"We understand that budget concerns need to be addressed by government, but budget concerns are no justification to undercut the democratic process," said Sukanya Pillay, a director of the association.
The bill "seriously impairs fundamental rights in a manner that cannot be justified in a free and democratic society," she added.
The legislation, which three unions have vowed to fight all the way to the Supreme Court of ÎÚÑ»´«Ã½, will also give the government the power to ban strikes and lockouts for at least two years.
That's alarming because it removes the right to strike before there's even the threat of one, said Pillay, who plans to seek intervener status in a potential legal challenge of the bill.
The Ontario government, which is facing a $15-billion deficit, has suggested that the bill isn't objectionable because it imposes terms of an agreement it reached with English Catholic and francophone teachers.
Education Minister Laurel Broten said the government will confidently defend the bill in court.
