Oct
19
2005
Dear
Editor,
There
are
some
people
who
believe
that
teachers
in
our
society
should
not
have
the
same
rights
as
other
citizens
of
Canada.
In
fact,
there
are
some
people
who
believe
that
teachers
should
be
punished
for
demanding
the
same
rights
as
the
other
citizens
of
Canada.
The
argument
goes
that
because
education
is
essential,
particularly
in
the
lives
of
our
younger
people,
that
teachers
are
"essential
service"
providers
in
a
kind
of
teaching
industry.
Being
"essential"
means
therefore,
that
like
paramedics,
operating
room
physicians
or
other
workers
who
deal
with
life
threatening
situations,
teachers
should
not
be
able
to
withhold
services,
even
when
they
believe
that
they
are
not
being
treated
fairly.
If
they
do,
they
should
be
punished.
British
Columbia
has
the
dubious
distinction
of
being
the
only
Province
in
Canada
who
has
singled
out
a
group
of
professionals
for
discrimination
by
occupation.
General
Inquiries
cncsncnc.bc.ca
..i
http:www.cncsa.cafreeforum
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Volume
4
Edition
2
Nov
2005
Circulation
1,500
College
of
New
Caledonia
Suite
1-120
3330,
22nd
Avenue
Prince
George
BC
V2N
1P8
562-2131
loc.
214
Managing
Editor
Jolene
Bnsbois
cncsncnc.bc.ca
Features
Editor
Andrew
Steele
featurescncsncnc.bc.ca
Graphics
Editor
Kim
Bonnell
cncsncnc.bc.ca
Production
Editor
Anne
Blanchard
cncsncnc.bc.ca
Advertising
Manager
Justin
Simon
cncsncnc.bc.ca
Writers:
Anne
Blanchard,
Kim
Bonnell,
Jolene
Bnsbois,
Justin
Simon,
Andrew
Steele.
Contributors:
Peter
Ewart
Chicken
Scratch
by
Jamie
Langevin.
Additional
material
provided
by
the
CUP
Wire
and
the
CNC
Students'
Association
Opinions
expressed
in
Free
Forum
are
solely
those
of
the
author
and
do
not
necessarily
reflect
those
of
Free
Forum.
Free
Forum
is
a
student
newspaper
serving
the
College
of
New
Caledonia.
All
materials
appearing
in
Free
Forum
bear
copyright
of
Free
Forum
and
their
creators
and
may
not
be
used
without
written
consent.
The
staff
of
Free
Forum
are
committed
to
the
free
exchange
of
ideas
and
information
in
an
ethical,
responsible,
and
engaging
manner.
Free
Forum
opposes
sexism,
racism,
homophobia,
and
other
oppressive
prejudices.
Free
Forum
is
a
monthly
production
developed
with
the
help
of
student
volunteers.
Free
Forum
is
a
member
of
the
Canadian
University
Press.
Please
recycle
this
newspaper.
The
Liberals
have
made
a
mockery
of
teacher's
rights
to
collective
bargaining.
Operating
on
an
unstated
agenda
of
destroying
gains
made
by
f
'-
k
J
L.j
'
the
trade
union
movement
in
Canada,
they
have
put
themselves
in
a
position
of
ultimate
authority
in
determining
the
wages
and
working
conditions
of
a
legitimate
professional
group.
They
have
stated
that
they
will
not
negotiate
contractual
issues.
They
have
repeatedly
isolated
themselves
from
communication
through
negotiation.
And
now,
they
are
seeking
to
punish
teachers
protesting
unfair
treatment
through
the
law.
But
this
may
be
just
the
beginning.
Now
that
this
most
recent
labour
crisis,
fermented
by
the
government
itself,
has
led
to
the
disruption
of
the
entire
school
system,
and
the
lives
of
countless
families
in
the
province
of
British
Columbia,
the
liberals
have
intimated
that
they
have
a
"fix"
for
this
tangled
web.
Seemingly
the
brainchild
of
Shirley
Bond,
and
now
touted
by
Gordon
Campbell
as
the
legitimate
way
to
reach
agreement
on
very
complex
issues,
'
i
FftEE
FOftUII
we
are
all
being
asked
to
recognize
'
Round
Table'
sessions
and
'Learning
Circles'
as
an
alternative
to
negotiated
settlements
of
disputes.
It
has
not
been
made
clear
just
how
these
discussions
and
circles
would
be
constituted,
but
early
indicators
are
that
they
would
be
weighted
heavily
in
favour
of
the
government
employers.
One
might
even
be
suspicious
that
the
agendas
would
follow
the
Liberal
Party
line.
The
Liberals
have
broken
so
many
promises
to
so
many
people
in
the
electorate
that
it
is
difficult
to
take
creation
of
these
Learning
Circles
seriously.
Even
in
the
fantasyland
aura
of
the
liberal
caucus,
people
should
be
considering
the
credibility
of
a
proposed
bargaining
tool,
which
is
so
Mickey
Mouse.
-
Anonymous
bctf
member
Review
Askew
-
Andrew
Steele
interviews
up-and-coming
local
PgDSjA
NicKieDacK'Ts
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also
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us
exactly,
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Association
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find
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page
11
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Cover
Designed
by
Kim
Bonnell
1