Children's singer Raffi is accusing the B.C. government of taking a "bully" stance in its failed negotiations with the province's teachers. Premier Christy Clark has yet to respond to the entertainer's criticism as schools remained closed Tuesday.
The start of the school year for some half a million B.C. public school students has been delayed indefinitely after the governing Liberals and the BC Teachers' Federation (BCTF) failed to reach a new deal. The two sides are reportedly far apart on a number of issues, and no further negotiations are scheduled.
On Sunday, Clark sent out four tweets blaming the BCTF for the impasse, a move that spurred a sharp response from the affable entertainer.
@christyclarkbc nobody believes you. @CKNW #bced
— Raffi Cavoukian (@Raffi_RC) August 31, 2014
@christyclarkbc not credible. twice, BC Supreme Court ruled against BC Liberals re teachers. #bced
— Raffi Cavoukian (@Raffi_RC) August 31, 2014
@christyclarkbc disrespecting 40,000 BC teachers + parents & students is no way to build a strong economy. #bced
— Raffi Cavoukian (@Raffi_RC) August 31, 2014
premier @christyclarkbc—you & @FassbenderMLA had all summer to fair deal with BC teachers. it's YOUR move. #leadership #bced
— Raffi Cavoukian (@Raffi_RC) September 2, 2014
In addition to tweeting at Clark directly, Raffi sent a number of tweets on both Sunday and Monday to show his support for teachers, students and parents.
my heart goes out to BC families —> @christyclarkbc neglect = no school next week. parents scramble to find childcare. #bced
— Raffi Cavoukian (@Raffi_RC) August 31, 2014
a Labour Day hello to BC teachers—you deserve a fair deal, kids deserve to be learning! #bced
— Raffi Cavoukian (@Raffi_RC) September 1, 2014
BC schools closed~gov't plays politics with BC kids' basic right to education. parents deserve apology & strike settled. #bced
— Raffi Cavoukian (@Raffi_RC) September 2, 2014
Raffi described the governing Liberals’ position as a “bully govt stance” (sic) in one of his last tweets on the issue Monday night.
The last tweet from Clark’s account was her Sunday series of messages about the strike. There were no replies to Raffi’s tweets as of early Tuesday.
Meanwhile, students have organized a rally for Tuesday afternoon to ensure their perspective on the strike is heard. The rally will begin at 2 p.m. local time outside the Art Gallery in downtown Vancouver.
