On September 7th, the Canadian Teachers' Federation (CTF/FCE) launches its federal election advocacy campaign to spark a national conversation on the future of publicly funded public education and to demand a greater federal role in public education.
CTF/FCE President Sam Hammond hopes to "reiterate our position on creating equitable education conditions across the country and fixing the social cracks exposed by the pandemic."
Informed by an Abacus Data national poll, the campaign aims to advocate for education priorities with specific asks of the next federal government. The three priorities include ensuring equitable access, strengthening, and investing in publicly funded public education.
Specifically, the CTF/FCE calls on the next federal government to create a national education advisory table to strengthen publicly funded public education across Canada:
- Comprised of the teaching profession, academics, and civil society, the table will work with provinces and territories to:
- Establish national guidelines for publicly funded public education
- Develop national standards for emergency preparedness
- Implement legislation to stop the privatization of publicly funded public education
- Protect and promote the French language in minority settings
- Coordinate national programs aimed at poverty alleviation, anti-racism, and truth and reconciliation.
- 95% of Canadians believe it's important that all children and youth have equal access to high quality publicly funded public education.
- 94% of Canadians believe high quality public education helps ensure long-term economic competitiveness and growth.
- 91% say providing all K-12 students with equitable access to quality public education can reduce poverty in Canada over the long term.
Highlights of the poll and specific asks for the next federal government are featured on the advocacy campaign website. A podcast with CTF/FCE President Sam Hammond and CEO and Founder of Abacus Data David Coletto can be heard here. Join us in this #nationalconversation. As CTF/FCE President Sam Hammond says, "it's time to prioritize publicly funded public education from coast to coast to coast".
