Ontario's French-language teachers vote in favour of strike mandate

Ontario's French-language elementary and secondary school teachers and occasional teachers have moved a step closer to a walkout after failing to come to terms with the government over an extended period of time, according to their union.

Members voted 93% in favour of a strike mandate during a vote that was held between Jan. 24 and 26, the Association des enseignantes et des enseignants franco-ontariens (AEFO) said.

The vote was in response to the government and the Council of Trustee's Associations' (CTA) “insistence on proposals that increase teachers' workloads with a potentially disastrous impact on the classroom” over the past year and a half, according to the union.

"This resounding yes vote shows beyond doubt that Franco-Ontarian teachers intend to push back against the government's and CTA's offensives. We find their proposals unacceptable, as they limit support in the classroom and will worsen the critical teacher shortage,” said Anne Vinet-Roy, President of AEFO.

“The survival of our French-language education system is at stake, as is the quality of learning offered to students. We cannot accept this.”

Public elementary and secondary teachers in Ontario also held strike votes last year as they expressed frustration at the slow pace of negotiations.

AEFO ‘reject every opportunity’ to avoid strike

AEFO’s strike vote, however, is not a welcome development for the government. 

It is disappointing that AEFO has “rejected every opportunity to sign a deal that provides stability for students and families, including sending outstanding matters to binding interest arbitration,” Stephen Lecce, minister of education, said in a City News report.

In August 2023, support staff at public colleges in Ontario secured bigger wages and extended benefits from their employers, after the College Employer Council (CEC) and Ontario Public Service Union - full-time college support (OPSEU/SEFPO CAAT) mutually agreed to boost the previously set wage increases for the workers.

The strike mandate, however, does not signal the end of negotiations, said AEFO, which has 12,000 members and represents French-language elementary and high school teachers in Ontario.

The next negotiation meetings are scheduled for Jan. 31 and Feb. 1 and 2, in the presence of a conciliator appointed by the Ontario Labour Relations Board (OLRB).

Transit workers, military base workers and numerous other worker groups have held strikes all throughout Canada since early 2023.