'Certainly a lightning rod': Cullen back to drawing board after Bill 64 officially scrapped
Manitoba Education Minister Cliff Cullen said the plan to overhaul the education system is going back to the drawing board, recognizing the anxiety Bill 64 caused.
“We do want to repair any bridges that we have maybe damaged in that journey,” Cullen said.
On Wednesday, Manitoba’s new Premier Kelvin Goertzen announced Bill 64 is being withdrawn.
The legislation faced a mountain of opposition. The main sticking point – the elimination of elected school boards, replacing them with a central authority.
Once a staunch defender of the bill, Minister Cullen said those plans are now on pause.
“This governance model was certainly a lightning rod, we recognize that. So we are scrapping Bill 64,” Cullen said.
He said the province will now get feedback from teachers, parents, and other interested parties on how test scores can be boosted. He said that information will then be shared with the next Premier and cabinet, set to take office later this fall following the PC leadership election.
“We’re hoping now that Bill 64 is behind us, we can move on and talk about students’ success,” Cullen said.
CONCERNS OVER NEW BILL
Brenda Brazeau with the Manitoba Association of Parent Councils said there are a number of measures needed to help students that she feels were not addressed in Bill 64.
“We do need to talk about the poverty issue. We need to talk about the class size issue. We need to talk about more Indigenous learning,” Brazeau said.
The union representing teachers said it wants to be consulted. But Nathan Martindale from the Manitoba Teachers Society said they have concerns about the possibility of a Bill 64 2.0.
“Will it make our members a little anxious knowing that that still hangs above our head? Yes,” Martindale said.
For now, Cullen said instead of reform, the number one priority is health and safety as kids head back to class during the pandemic’s fourth wave.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Video shows suspect setting Toronto-area barbershop on fire
Video of a suspect lighting a Richmond Hill barbershop on fire earlier this week has been released by police.
The kids from 'Mrs. Doubtfire' are all SUPER grown up now, and we're not OK
The adorable trio of child actors from the 1993 classic comedy 'Mrs. Doubtfire,' which starred the late and great Robin Williams, are all grown up and looking back on their seminal time together.
Canadian doctor concerned new weight-loss drug Wegovy may be used inappropriately
As Wegovy becomes available to Canadians starting Monday, a medical expert is cautioning patients wanting to use the drug to lose weight that no medication is a ''magic bullet,' and the new medication is meant particularly for people who meet certain criteria related to obesity and weight.
Police officer hit by driver of fleeing vehicle in Toronto
York Regional Police say they are continuing to search for a suspect in an auto theft investigation who was captured on video running over a police officer in Toronto last month.
TD worst-case scenario more likely after drug money laundering allegations: analyst
TD Bank Group could be hit with more severe penalties than previously expected, says a banking analyst after a report that the investigation it faces in the U.S. is tied to laundering illicit fentanyl profits.
Premier Legault reiterates that McGill pro-Palestinian camp must be dismantled
Quebec Premier François Legault reiterated that the pro-Palestinian encampment at McGill University must be dismantled while police remain 'on the lookout for new developments.'
A Chinese driver is praised for helping reduce casualties in a highway collapse that killed 48
A Chinese truck driver was praised in local media Saturday for parking his vehicle across a highway and preventing more cars from tumbling down a slope after a section of the road in the country's mountainous south collapsed and killed at least 48 people.
'I have the will to live': N.B. woman needs double lung transplant
A New Brunswick woman suffering from sarcoidosis, a disease that limits your lung capacity, is in need of a double lung transplant.
Hulk Hogan, hurricanes and a blockbuster recording: A week in review of the Trump hush money trial
Crucial witnesses took the stand in the second week of testimony in Donald Trump's hush money trial, including a California lawyer who negotiated deals at the center of the case and a longtime adviser to the former president.