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the liberals support for the Tories back-to-work legislation against school caretakers has got some party members seeing red. Liberal school board trustee Sheila Ward was particularly miffed that her party, like the Tories, didn't recognize the agreement the union and the board had reached early Friday (April 27) morning.
"That's where I felt my party let me down," Ward says.
Liberal MPP Gerard Kennedy sounds a little sheepish explaining why his party supported the Tories.
Basically, the Liberals decided that the school year was in jeopardy and lined up behind the Tories.
"Our principle is collective bargaining until the children's right to a school year takes precedence," Kennedy says.
NDP MPP Marilyn Churley says the back-to-work bill was "draconian." She maintains her party wanted to introduce an amendment that would have given the unions and the boards more time to reach an agreement. But the Liberals wouldn't support it.
"Our position was that if we'd had the Liberals onside it might have helped us negotiate with the Tories," says Churley. "The Tories were pleased to have the official opposition onside."
